NOT QUITE HUMAN
by Kim Dreamcatcher
Summary: PART 6 UP TMNT crossover: While vacationing in New York City, the Ronin Warriors run into the city's mutant vigilantes...
1. Author's Note

NOT QUITE HUMAN: Author's Note

To clear something out, this story is NOT a crossover with any of those "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies that probably everyone has already seen. (I'm sure you have all three movies lying around in your video collection gathering dust somewhere. If not, you probably sold them at a yard sale a long time ago! ) I'm actually referring to the cartoon show, which was really popular during the mid and late nineties; around the same time the movies were made. I loved the cartoon when I was a kid. They're mean, green fighting machines with a never-ending appetite for bizarre pizza combos: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

**LEONARDO  
**  
He's the leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As the leader, he accepts full responsibility for the safety of his three brothers. Leonardo wears blue and his weapons are twin katanas.

**RAPHAEL**

He's the smart mouth and jokester of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He always has some sort of rude remark or joke about almost everything. Raphael wears red and his weapons are twin sais.

**DONATELLO**

He's the brains behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He's responsible for inventing several tools that the Turtles use, such as their Turtle- Coms, the Turtle Van, the Turtle Blimp, and the dimensional portal generator. Donatello wears purple and his weapon is a simple wooden staff, or bo.

**MICHELANGELO**

He's the goofball of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He likes to have fun, whether it's going to the movies, skateboarding in the sewers, watching TV, or making and scarfing down the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' favorite food: pizza! Some of Michelangelo's favorite expressions are "Exactamundo," "Awesome," "Tubuloso," "Primo to the extremo," "Holy Guacamole," and "Cowabunga!" Michelangelo wears orange and his two favorite weapons are a pair of nunchucks and a grappling hook.

**SPLINTER  
**  
He's the surrogate father of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Splinter is a mutated rat who wears a pink kimono. He used to be a human man named Hamato Yoshi. He was one of the greatest ninja masters at the ninja school he taught at, that is until his rival, a man named Oroku Saki, framed him for attempting to assassinate the dojo's master sensei. He was forced to leave Japan and had to live in the sewers of New York City and...well, I'm sure you know the rest.

**APRIL O'NEIL  
**  
She's the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' only human friend. April is a star reporter for the Channel Six News. She's willing to take any risk to get a good story; even if there were a chance she'd be risking her own life.

**SHREDDER  
**  
He's one of the two major threats to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the rest of the world. Shredder, formerly known as Oroku Saki, was responsible for framing Hamato Yoshi many years ago. He is also responsible for creating the mutagen that made the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Splinter what they are today. Now as the Shredder, he plots on taking over the world with his army of Foot Soldiers. (Think of the Foot Soldiers as like Talpa's Dynasty soldiers: very easily defeated by the heroes.)

**KRANG  
**  
He's the other major threat to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the rest of the world. Krang is a body-less brain from another world called Dimension X, where he is the ruler. Although he doesn't have a real body, Krang does have a robotic body that he controls by means of a small remote control compartment within the robotic body. He also operates a giant mobile vehicle called the Techno-Drome. Krang's plot is to bring his army from Dimension X over to Earth, so he can take over the planet.

**BEBOP  
**  
He's one of Shredder's two mutated creations. Bebop was once a human henchman, but he was mutated with a wild boar stolen from the Central Park Zoo. The mutation did make Bebop very strong and aggressive like a wild boar, but as Donatello said about him and Rocksteady in the first episode, "The mutation didn't up their IQs any!"

**ROCKSTEADY  
**  
He's the second of Shredder's two mutated creations. Rocksteady was once a human henchman, but he was mutated with a wild rhinoceros stolen from the Central Park Zoo. The mutation did make Rocksteady very strong and powerful like a wild rhinoceros, but as Donatello said about him and Bebop in the first episode, "The mutation didn't up their IQs any!"


	2. Donatello's Secret

NOT QUITE HUMAN

**Part One: Donatello's Secret  
**  
Although it was around six o'clock in the morning in Toyama, Japan, a young teenage boy with thick blonde hair was wide-awake in his room, checking over some clothes in one of two suitcases. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"May I come in, Sage?" a man's voice asked.

"Sure thing, Dad," Sage replied. He continued looking through his clothes as his father entered his bedroom.

"Got everything you need for your trip?" Mr. Date asked.

"Sure do, Dad," Sage replied as he closed the suitcase and zipped it shut. "I got plenty of clean clothes, an extra pair of shoes, a bathing suit, a beach towel, deodorant, brush...Oh, yeah! Almost forgot my toothbrush!" Sage quickly ran down the hall to the upstairs bathroom.

Mr. Date also went into the bathroom, where Sage was looking through a cabinet. "Sage, I need you to do a favor for me while you and your friends are in New York City," Mr. Date revealed.

"Sure, Dad. What is it?" Sage asked as he took his toothbrush out of the cabinet.

"Over fifteen years ago, a good friend of mine was forced to leave Japan, due to some confusion at the ninja school he once taught at," Mr. Date explained as he followed his son back to his bedroom. "He was accused of attempting to assassinate the school's master sensei, but it was later discovered that the sword they found on him was planted by his rival."

"No offense, Dad, but if I'm gonna find your friend, I'll need more information than that," Sage replied as he put his toothbrush inside a small duffel bag.

"Of course, son," Mr. Date replied. "His name is Hamato Yoshi. He was a shidoshi in the ancient art of ninjitsu. When he was forced to flee Japan, Yoshi got on a boat for New York City."

"That might not be that helpful, Dad," Sage revealed. "Hamato Yoshi might not have stayed in New York. He might have moved somewhere else. Besides, New York City is huge, almost as big as Tokyo. I wouldn't know where to start looking."

"Isn't there an island in New York City where immigrants had to go when they arrive by boat?" Mr. Date asked.

"Yeah, there is," Sage murmured thoughtfully. "That was one of the places Rowen mentioned yesterday. I think it's called Ellis Island."

"They must keep records there of all the immigrants that have passed through," Mr. Date suggested.

"All right, Dad. I'll check that out when my friends and I visit Ellis Island," Sage replied.

"I also want you to take this," Mr. Date added as he handed Sage a worn black and white photograph. Sage looked at the two young men in the photo and recognized the one on the left as his father.

"Is that him?" Sage asked, pointing at the man on the right, who was dressed in a kimono and striped pants.

Mr. Date nodded as he stared at the picture. "Yoshi has a picture identical to this. If you do happen to find him, you can use this picture as proof that you're my son. He knows that I wouldn't give this picture to just anyone."

Just then, the two heard a loud car horn from outside. "That must be the guys," Sage muttered out loud as he slipped the photograph in a pocket on his duffel bag before picking up his suitcases. "I gotta go now, Dad. Our flight leaves at seven, and it's gonna be a forty-five minute drive to the airport."

"All right then, Sage," Mr. Date replied as he picked up Sage's duffel bag. He followed Sage downstairs, where his wife was waiting for them in her nightgown and robe.

"Have a good time on your trip, Sage," Mrs. Date announced as she gave her son a farewell hug.

"Thanks, Mom," Sage replied. "I promise I'll call you as soon as we arrive at our hotel." Mr. Date opened the door for his son and he soon followed him outside.

"About time, Sage!" Kento complained loudly from the driver's seat of his gold van. "We've been waiting forever!"

"Kento! You know that's not true!" Cye shouted from the front passenger seat. "We just got here!"

Sage chuckled a bit at his two friends' antics. "Guys, you remember my father?"

"Of course, we do. Good morning, Mr. Date," Cye greeted.

"Good morning, boys," Mr. Date greeted.

"Just toss your bags in back, Sage," Kento told his friend. Sage nodded as he walked to the back of the van and opened the trunk door.

"Morning, Sage," Ryo greeted as Sage placed his suitcases among the several suitcases and duffel bags already packed in the trunk.

"Hey, Ryo," Sage greeted back. He then noticed a familiar head of blue hair sitting next to Ryo. "Is Rowen sleeping?" Sage asked as he closed the trunk door.

"He sure is. Rowen's not used to getting up this early," Cye confessed.

"Tell me about it! I had to practically drag him out of bed!" Kento retorted. "It's a good thing Rowen packed his bags last night, otherwise we would have miss our plane!" Sage laughed a bit as he climbed into the back of the van and sat down behind Cye.

"Here's your bag, Sage," Mr. Date announced as he handed Sage the small duffel bag.

"Thanks, Dad," Sage replied as he took the duffel bag from his father.

"Don't forget to call us, Sage," Mr. Date added.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll call home as soon as I can," Sage replied as his father closed the door. As the gold van pulled away from the Date home, Mr. Date waved goodbye to his son...

"Everyone got their tickets?" Ryo asked his four friends. Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen all nodded as they showed Ryo their airline tickets. They had already dropped off their luggage at the luggage drop-off station and were now standing next to the boarding entrance for the seven o'clock flight to New York City.

"Okay, let's go," Ryo announced as he and his friends headed toward the boarding gates.

"I'll need to see your tickets and passports, please," the stewardess at the gate requested. One by one, the five boys handed their airline tickets and their passports to the young woman. She studied the passports for a few moments before handing them back.

"Enjoy your flight," the stewardess announced as the five friends headed through the boarding gates.

"New York City, here we come!" Kento shouted out of excitement. Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Rowen laughed a bit as they followed Kento to the loading ramp.

"Hey, Rowen, what time are we going to land in New York?" Sage asked.

"Well, according to our time here in Japan, it will be one-thirty in the afternoon when the plane lands in New York," Rowen explained. "But, since we'll be on a six and a half-hour flight through ten separate time zones, the time in New York will be eleven-thirty at night."

"Whoa!" Ryo admitted with a low whistle. "That's a pretty big time difference."

"Because of that time difference, we may experience a bit of jet lag when we land in New York," Rowen admitted as they boarded the plane.

"Please take your seats. We'll be taking off in ten minutes," the airline stewardess instructed as the five friends got on the plane.

"I call the window seat!" Kento announced as he got into his seat. Cye shook his head as he took the seat next to Kento. Sage sat down in the aisle seat next to Cye, while Ryo and Rowen took seats behind them.

"I think Kento's the most excited out of all of us!" Cye remarked.

"I think we're all excited about this trip," Ryo admitted. "None of us have ever been in the United States before."

"And there's a lot of places to see in New York City, right, Rowen?" Sage asked as he looked over the back of his seat at Rowen.

"Sure is," Rowen replied as he took out a small book from his pocket that was entitled "Sights of New York City" and opened it. "We got Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rockefeller Center, the Radio City Music Hall..."

"Geez, Rowen! Does the list ever end?" Kento asked sarcastically.

"I'm not finished yet," Rowen retorted through clenched teeth, a bit irritated that Kento interrupted him. "There's also Coney Island, which is this huge beach and amusement center located in Brooklyn, the Bronx Zoo, and of course, we're definitely going to visit the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium."

"Of course Rowen would want to waste part of our vacation going to a couple of stupid museums," Kento muttered angrily.

"We wouldn't be wasting it, Kento," Rowen told him. "And from what I read, there's some things in these museums that even you will be interested in."

"Yeah, right!" Kento retorted.

"Chill, Kento. We'll be staying in New York for a week," Sage told him.

"Yeah, Kento. Don't forget, we each get a day to pick out places where we want to go," Cye reminded his burly friend.

"Yeah, but why does Rowen get the first day?" Kento complained.

"Because I won the drawing we had yesterday, that's why," Rowen pointed out. Kento growled angrily to himself as he crossed his arms. "So, what are the plans for tomorrow, Rowen?" Ryo asked.

"Well, I was thinking that after breakfast, we can go on this boat tour that I read about," Rowen explained. "It'll take us to Governors Island first, then to Ellis Island, and finally to Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty is located, obviously. After we get back to the city and have some lunch, we'll head over to the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium. After that, we'll go eat dinner and head back to the hotel. Whatever we do the day after that is all up to Cye."

"Hey, Rowen, have you ever considered getting a job as a tour guide?" Kento asked jokingly. "You'd be really good at it!"

"Very funny, Kento," Rowen stated dully as Ryo, Sage, and Cye snickered a little bit. "It's not just the sights of New York City that I'm interested in."

"What else is there?" Cye asked curiously.

"Well, remember I mentioned my pen pal from the United States, who's also an intellect like myself?" Rowen asked.

"Figures a geek would be pen pals with a geek from another country!" Kento retorted.

"Anyway," Rowen continued after giving Kento a quick dirty look, "my pen pal happens to live in New York City."

"What's his name?" Ryo asked.

"He has quite a unique name: Donatello," Rowen revealed.

"Donatello?" Cye repeated. "Isn't that the name of one of the four famous Renaissance painters?"

"That is correct, Cye," Rowen replied. "In my last letter, I told Donatello about our trip to New York and what hotel we're staying at, so he can give me a call while we're there."

"Are you sure about this, Rowen?" Ryo asked suspiciously. "What if he turns out to be some creep who plans on kidnapping you or something?"

"Don't worry about it, Ryo," Rowen assured him. "I'm not stupid, you know. I plan on asking Donatello to meet me in a public place. If he turns out to be some creep, I doubt he'll agree to that."

"I guess you're right, Rowen," Ryo reluctantly admitted. "Just be careful, okay? And that goes for everyone. I've heard that New York City can be a very dangerous place."

Just then, the PLEASE FASTEN SEATBELTS sign lit up and a man's voice from the intercom system announced, "Attention, passengers. This is your captain speaking. We will be ready for take-off shortly, so everyone please fasten your seatbelts." The passengers all quickly clicked their seatbelts together as instructed.

"Here we go!" Kento shouted as he and everyone else on the airplane felt the massive craft start to slowly head down the runway...

Meanwhile, somewhere in New York City, the sun was slowly starting to go down. A young man dressed in blue pants, dark brown boots, a tan trench coat, and a brown hat was casually walking down the street, carrying a single envelope, a magazine, and a small package with him. He cut through the crowd of people and entered a dark alleyway. When he approached a metal sewer cover, the young man tucked the mail under his arm and removed the sewer cover, revealing a metal ladder leading down into the dank sewer system underneath New York City. After quickly checking to make sure no one was watching him, the young man climbed down the ladder and carefully slid the sewer cover back where it belonged.

"Better get back home before anyone gets worried about me," the young man muttered to himself as he started to walk down the dimly lit sewer tunnel. He zipped through the confusing maze of tunnels with ease, as though he had done it several times before. The young man soon entered a room hidden within the complicated labyrinth of sewer tunnels, with a couch, a beat-up recliner, a coffee table, and a small television set.

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" the young man announced as he placed the mail on the coffee table and took off his hat.

"About time, Donatello!" a voice shouted sarcastically from the other room.

The young man looked up as three humanoid turtles entered the room he was standing in. Each of the three turtles were wearing belts with a distinct letter on the circle-shaped buckle and different colored masks with matching knee, wrist, and elbow pads. One turtle had a L on his belt and was wearing blue, the second turtle had a R on his belt and was wearing red, and the third turtle had a M on his belt and was wearing orange.

"Nice to see you, too, Raphael," Donatello muttered out loud to the turtle in red as he removed the rubber mask he was wearing, revealing himself as a humanoid turtle wearing a purple mask.

"What did we get, dude?" the turtle in orange asked as Donatello picked up the mail.

"Let me see..." Donatello muttered thoughtfully as he sorted through the mail. "Here's that skateboarding magazine you ordered, Michelangelo," he announced as he handed the magazine to the turtle in orange.

"Awesome! I've been waiting forever for this to come in!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he plopped down on the couch and stared flipping through the magazine.

"More like three weeks, Michelangelo!" Raphael retorted.

"I also got something for you, Raphael," Donatello announced as he handed the package to his brother. Raphael quickly tore off the brown wrapping paper from the package to reveal a thick yellow paperback book.

"All right!" Raphael cheered. "It's my very own copy of 'A Thousand and One Ways to Insult Your Friends!' "Donatello shook his head in disappointment as Raphael sat next to Michelangelo and opened up his book.

"Is there anything else, Donatello?" the turtle in blue asked as Donatello started to take off his trench coat.

"There's just a letter for me, Leonardo," Donatello told the turtle in blue as he took off his boots and pants. "It's from my pen pal in Japan."

"You know, Donatello, you haven't told us much about this pen pal of yours, even though you've been writing to him for over a year now," Leonardo muttered suspiciously as Donatello sat down in the recliner with his letter in his hand.

"Yeah, well, I didn't feel like talking about him to you guys," Donatello muttered out loud.

"And why not, Donatello?" Michelangelo asked as he and Raphael looked up.

"Well, it turns out that my pen pal, Rowen Hashiba, is a genius like me!" Donatello admitted proudly. "We're even the same age, give or take a few months."

"That's just great! Our geek writing to another geek halfway around the world!" Raphael retorted dully.

Donatello pretended not to hear Raphael as he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. As he read the letter, Donatello suddenly gasped, "I can't believe this!"

"What's wrong, Donatello?" Leonardo asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Donatello admitted as a smile formed on his face. "I just found out that Rowen is coming to New York City for a whole week!"

"Why? Is there an international nerd convention in town?" Raphael asked sarcastically.

"No, he's spending part of his summer vacation here with friends, Raphael," Donatello revealed. "He wants me to call him at the hotel that he and his friends will be staying at."

"So, when is this Rowen dude getting here?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello looked at the date of arrival that was written in the letter and exclaimed, "He's coming today!"

"Aren't you gonna call him?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"No, it'd be too late to call him today, Leonardo," Donatello confessed. "With the ten hour time difference between here and Japan, it'll be eleven- thirty at night when his plane finally lands in New York City."

"Whoa, dude! That's really late!" Michelangelo admitted. "I'll try calling Rowen first thing tomorrow morning," Donatello muttered out loud as he stood up. "So, Michelangelo, what kind of pizza are we having for dinner tonight?"

"It's my absolute fave, dudes: pepperoni and caramel fudge sauce!" Michelangelo announced as he headed into the other room, followed by the other Turtles...

"Kento? Kento, wake up!" Cye shouted as he shook his friend's shoulder, who was still sleeping in one of the two twin beds in the hotel room they shared.

"Come on, Cye! Leave me alone!" Kento mumbled groggily as he rolled around to his other side.

"Okay, but you asked for it!" Cye warned him. The next thing Kento knew, he got hit in the head with a pillow.

"Oh, it's on now!" Kento shouted as he stood up on his bed and swung his pillow at Cye, knocking him down to the floor. He jumped on the floor and grabbed Cye in a headlock.

"Come on, Kento! Let me go!" Cye complained. "I had to wake you up! We're supposed to meet the guys downstairs at nine for breakfast, and it's already eight forty-five! Remember, Kento, it's an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet!"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Cye?" Kento asked as he let go of Cye and ran to his duffel bag. As Cye sat down on his bed and took in a few gasps of air, Kento dug through his duffel bag and pulled out a yellow T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "Just give me a few minutes, Cye," Kento announced as he went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"While I'm waiting, I might as well make the beds," Cye muttered out loud, who was already dressed in clean clothes.

"You better be joking, Cye!" Kento retorted from the bathroom. "We're in a hotel! Making the beds is the maid's job, remember?"

"Fine, then. I'll leave the beds alone," Cye replied as he put on his sneakers.

"Good for you, Cye. We don't wanna put the maid out of a job," Kento added as he opened the bathroom door, now wearing the yellow T-shirt and jeans. As Kento grabbed his sneakers, he and Cye heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Cye asked.

"It's Sage. What's taking you guys so long?" Sage asked. "I figured with Kento's appetite that he would have been downstairs long before us!"

"Very funny, Sage," Kento muttered out loud as he put on his sneakers. "I'm surprised you're still not tired. We didn't get to our rooms till midnight!"

"Yeah, well, I'm a light sleeper, especially when I'm sleeping in an unfamiliar bed," Sage admitted. "Now, will you two speed it up? Ryo and Rowen are waiting downstairs for us."

"Okay, we're coming," Cye replied as he and Kento walked to the door and opened it.

"You got the keys?" Kento asked as Cye closed the door behind them.

"They're right here," Cye replied as he took the hotel key out of his pocket and locked the door. As Cye put the key back in his pocket, he, Kento, and Sage headed toward the elevator...

"Take it easy, Kento!" Cye retorted as Kento chowed down on a huge stack of blueberry pancakes smothered with melted butter and maple syrup.

"Hey, I'm gonna need the energy," Kento argued. "We're gonna be walking all over New York City today, Cye!"

"Kento, we're taking a bus to the docks," Ryo remarked. "That doesn't count as walking."

"And another thing, if you could, you would eat like this every day, Kento!" Sage pointed out sarcastically, causing a round of snickering from Ryo, Cye, and Rowen.

"Ha, ha, ha! Very funny, guys," Kento retorted dryly before he continued eating his pancakes.

"You better speed it up, Kento," Rowen warned his burly friend. "The boat tour starts at ten, and the bus for the docks leaves the hotel at nine- thirty. I'm not going to miss this tour because of your bottomless pit of a stomach, Kento!"

"He's got the 'bottomless pit' part right," Cye admitted as he tried to muffle his snickering. The five friends were so occupied that they didn't notice a man in his forties wearing a hotel uniform approaching them with a cordless telephone in his hand.

"Excuse me, but would one of you young men happen to be Rowen Hashiba?" the man asked.

"That would be me," Rowen announced.

"You have a telephone call, Mr. Hashiba," the man revealed as he handed the telephone to Rowen. "When you're finished, please return the phone to the front desk."

"I will. Thank you, sir," Rowen replied as the man nodded his head and walked away. "Hello, this is Rowen," he replied through the phone. Ryo, Cye, Sage, and Kento strained their ears to listen to the caller, to see if they could recognize his voice.

"This is Rowen Hashiba I'm speaking to, from Toyama, Japan, correct?" the caller's voice asked, which was unfamiliar to Rowen's friends.

"Yes, it is," Rowen confirmed.

"Hey, Rowen! This is your pen pal, Donatello!" the caller announced.

"Donatello?" Rowen exclaimed. "It's good to hear from you."

"Same here, Rowen," Donatello replied. "How are you enjoying your vacation?"

"Running pretty smoothly so far," Rowen replied as he, Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Sage got up from the table and walked toward the lobby.

"That's good," Donatello admitted. "I know that New York City has a bad reputation, but it's really not as bad as most people think."

"Listen, Donatello, I hate to end this conversation so abruptly, but my friends and I are getting ready to do some sight-seeing in a few minutes," Rowen revealed.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you guys going?" Donatello asked curiously.

"We're taking this boat tour to Governors Island, Ellis Island, and Liberty Island," Rowen explained.

"Sounds interesting," Donatello admitted.

"Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you come with us, Donatello?" Rowen suggested. There was a pause of silence for a few moments, as though Donatello was thinking about the proposal.

"Well...I'll have to ask my father first, but I think I might be able to join you," Donatello finally answered.

"All right then. If you can make it, we're taking the ten o'clock boat tour," Rowen explained. "You know how to get there, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Donatello asked. "I know this city inside out."

"All right then. Hope to see you there, Donatello," Rowen admitted. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye, Rowen," Donatello replied before hanging up the payphone he used to call the hotel with. He let out a deep sigh before he pulled his Turtle Com out of his pants' pocket and turned it on. Almost instantly, Leonardo's face appeared on the Turtle Com's mini-screen.

"What's going on, Donatello?" Leonardo asked.

"I need to talk to Master Splinter, Leonardo. Can you get him on the Turtle Com for me?" Donatello asked.

"Sure thing, Donatello," Leonardo agreed as he got up from the couch. "Just hold on a minute, okay?"

Leonardo walked out of the room, went through the small kitchen, and entered a third room that he and the other Turtles used to practice their moves. Sitting on a small mat in deep meditation was a large brown humanoid rat dressed in a dark pink kimono with a black sash tied around his waist and white bandages wrapped around his feet. Lying next to the humanoid rat was a wooden walking stick.

"Master Splinter?" Leonardo asked as he cautiously approached the giant rat.

"Yes, Leonardo?" Splinter asked as he opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your meditation, Master, but Donatello needs to ask you something," Leonardo explained as he handed Splinter his Turtle Com.

"What is it, Donatello?" Splinter asked curiously.

"Master Splinter, I just got off the phone with my pen pal, and he wants to meet me," Donatello revealed. "Would it be all right with you if I go down to the docks to meet Rowen?"

"Go ahead, Donatello, but please be careful," Splinter approved.

"Don't worry, Master Splinter. I'll be careful," Donatello assured his sensei. "Donatello out." He turned off his Turtle Com and put it back in his pocket. Donatello cautiously looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then he put on his rubber mask, followed by a purple wool hat.

"Let's see, I got less than thirty minutes before that boat tour leaves," Donatello muttered to himself as he checked his watch. "I better get going." With that, the disguised Turtle got on his skateboard and sped through Central Park...

"I wonder what could be taking him so long," Rowen muttered out loud as he leaned against the boat's rail and studied the people boarding the boat, hoping silently that one of them would turn out to be his pen pal.

"Don't worry, Rowen. I'm sure he'll show up soon," Cye assured Rowen, who was standing next to him.

"You know, maybe Donatello couldn't come," Ryo suggested, who was sitting on a bench on the boat's deck, along with Sage and Kento. "He did say that he had to ask his father for permission first."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rowen admitted. "I'm gonna get a soda. You guys want anything?"

"No thanks, Rowen," Sage replied.

"Since you're going, could you get me a soda, too?" Kento asked.

"Sure, Kento," Rowen replied. Kento took some change out of his pocket and handed it to Rowen.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, guys." With that, Rowen walked off of the boat and headed to a soda machine a few yards away from the dock.

"Hey, guys. Check that out!" Ryo remarked as he pointed at a fast moving figure heading towards the dock. Sage, Cye, and Kento looked up and realized that the figure was a young teenage boy on a skateboard. He was wearing blue pants, dark brown boots, a purple sweater, and a matching wool hat.

"Wow! That's pretty awesome!" Kento admitted as he watched the teenage boy use a telephone pole to turn himself toward the ticket booth.

The four boys continued to watch as the teenage boy used a tic-tac maneuver to stop himself. He picked up the skateboard and headed to the ticket booth. After getting his ticket for the boat tour, the teenage boy got on the boat.

"Mind if I sit her for a minute?" he asked Ryo, Sage, and Kento.

"Sure, go ahead," Ryo admitted as they moved over.

"Thanks a lot," the teenage boy admitted as he sat down on the end of the bench and took in a deep breath of air. "I needed that."

"Well, you made it just in time," Sage remarked as the remaining people on the dock quickly got on board.

"You better hurry it up, Rowen, or the boat's gonna leave without you!" Cye shouted.

"Did you say Rowen?" the teenage boy asked curiously.

"Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?" Cye asked.

"You wouldn't happen to be Donatello, would you?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's me," Donatello confessed. "How did you know?"

"Rowen told us about you," Sage admitted.

"Oh, you guys must be his friends," Donatello realized. "Rowen did mention that he was coming to New York City with four of his friends."

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" the five boys heard Rowen shout. They all looked up at Rowen, who was carrying two cans of soda. "Here you go, Kento," Rowen announced as he handed Kento one of the soda cans.

"Hey, Rowen!" Donatello greeted as he stood up.

"Donatello?" Rowen asked, who was a bit surprised to see his pen pal face- to-face.

"Yeah, that's me," Donatello replied. "I was just talking your friends here. Sorry, but I didn't get your names."

"This is Ryo, Sage, and Kento, and this guy over here is Cye," Rowen introduced

"Nice to meet you all," Donatello replied.

"You have some pretty cool skateboarding moves...for a geek," Kento admitted.

"Kento! That was uncalled for!" Cye retorted.

"It's okay," Donatello told him. "I get stuff like this from my brothers all the time, especially Raphael."

"Your parents seem to have a liking for Renaissance painters," Cye remarked.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," Donatello admitted. "I also have two other brothers named Leonardo and Michelangelo."

Just then, the boat let out a loud deep bellow that startled the teenage boys, except for Donatello. "Don't worry, guys. The boat's just getting ready to leave," Donatello explained as the boat slowly pulled away from the docks...

"Not to insult your friend, Kento, but I've never seen anyone scarf pizza down so fast! Well, except for Michelangelo," Donatello whispered to Rowen as they left Tony's Pizzeria with Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento.

"It's no big deal, Donatello. Kento eats like that all the time," Rowen admitted. "Every day, I'm becoming more convinced that he's a human ruminant!"

Donatello snickered over Rowen's remark. "Maybe it's the same case with Michelangelo!"

"What did you call me, Rowen?" Kento asked angrily.

"Nothing, Kento. I just said that I think you may be a human ruminant," Rowen confessed.

"And what the heck does that mean?" Kento asked loudly.

"It refers to an animal with four stomachs, like a cow, for example," Donatello revealed.

"That would explain your endless appetite, Kento!" Cye retorted sarcastically, which caused a round of snickering from Ryo, Sage, Rowen, and Donatello.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, guys," Kento muttered out loud.

"Come on, you guys," Rowen interrupted. "We got to catch the next bus to the Museum of Natural History."

"That's not entirely necessary, Rowen," Donatello announced. "The museum's only a couple of blocks away. It'd be quicker to walk, especially around this time of day. Traffic can get really backed up around noontime."

"Well, if you say so, Donatello," Rowen replied.

"The museum's this way. Just follow me," Donatello announced as he led the five teenage boys down the sidewalk...

Meanwhile, several miles below the surface of New York City, a gigantic white tank shaped like a sphere with a huge eyeball on top and massive steel weapons laid in a massive pool of red-hot lava. Inside the giant tank was a complicated maze of halls and rooms. One of the rooms was much larger than the others with three glass tunnels attached to one of the walls and a giant wide-screen television monitor. A six-foot humanoid robot was studying a large power generator he had finished building. The robot was flesh-colored with steel wrist and ankle bands, steel shoulder plates, red shoes, and red briefs. Inside an open yellow compartment in the robot's stomach was a giant pink alien brain with a pair of tentacles, a mouth with small sharp teeth, and lavender eyes.

"Shredder! Get in here!" the alien brain shouted.

A man soon entered the main control room of the massive tank. He was wearing black pants, black boots, a charcoal gray tank top, a purple cape, steel gauntlets with long steel prawns, and steel shin and shoulder plates covered with sharp steel claws. The man known as Shredder was also wearing a steel helmet and mask, which covered his head and all of his face, except for his eyes.

"What is it, Krang?" Shredder asked the alien brain.

"I need you and those mutant nincompoops of yours to go to the surface," Krang announced.

"What for?" Shredder asked.

"This power generator needs five different gem stones for its power source," Krang explained, pointing at the generator. "Once it's activated, my new generator will have enough power to raise the Techno-Drome to the surface!"

"Fine, Krang. What gem stones do you need?" Shredder asked.

"For starters, get me the largest emerald in the world. You'll find it on display at the Museum of Natural History," Krang explained.

"Bebop! Rocksteady! Get in here!" Shredder shouted.

Immediately, two mutants ran into the main control room. One was a humanoid warthog with a purple Mohawk and a silver nose ring. He was wearing purple sunglasses, an open red vest, a necklace made of bones, a pair of shoulder pads shaped like turtle shells, dark gray wristbands, black pants, and red- and-white sneakers. The other mutant was a humanoid rhinoceros with yellow eyes. He was wearing a yellow tank top, light brown cargo pants, a brown belt, light brown leather wristbands, and dark brown boots.

"Yeah, boss?" the humanoid rhinoceros asked as he and the humanoid warthog stopped in front of Shredder.

"We're going to the surface. Bebop, round up the Foot Soldiers!" Shredder ordered the humanoid warthog.

"Sure thing, boss," Bebop replied with a snort as he ran out of the main control room.

"Rocksteady, get the modules ready!" Shredder ordered the humanoid rhinoceros.

"Right, boss," Rocksteady replied as he headed toward the glass tubes, where three strange cylinder- shaped vehicles were parked, each with a huge drill at one end.

"You better not fail me again, Shredder," Krang warned Shredder.

"Don't worry about it, Krang," Shredder assured the alien brain. "You'll get your emerald."

"I'm back, boss," Bebop announced with a snort as he came back into the main control room. He was followed by fifteen robots dressed in black and purple ninja uniforms, black boots, and purple hoods that completely covered their heads.

"Let's go now," Shredder announced as he headed toward the three modules, with Bebop and the Foot Soldiers following him. Rocksteady had just opened the side door of the third module. Shredder entered one of the modules with five of the ninja robots, Rocksteady entered the second module with five more Foot Soldiers, and Bebop entered the last module with the remaining robots. Krang stood by and watched as the three modules left through the giant glass tubes...TO BE CONTINUED


	3. The Secret Comes Out

NOT QUITE HUMAN

**Part Two: The Secret Comes Out  
**  
"Whoa! That is one big rock!" Kento exclaimed. The six boys were in the space exhibit, looking at a giant rock supported on metal posts.

"That's no mere rock, Kento. That's a meteorite," Rowen revealed as he read the sign next to the display. "According to this, this particular meteorite is just a small fragment off of a much larger meteor that's still floating somewhere in outer space."

"How much does this meteorite weigh?" Cye asked curiously.

"Over three tons!" Donatello announced. "That's over six thousand pounds!" Ryo, Cye, Sage, and Kento gasped when they heard this.

"That's pretty awesome!" Kento admitted as they left the space exhibit.

"See, Kento? I told you that there were some things in the Museum of Natural History that even you would be interested in," Rowen remarked.

"Yeah, I guess it's not so bad," Kento reluctantly admitted.

"Looks likes there's hope for you yet, Kento," Cye remarked.

Rowen glanced over at Donatello, who was suspiciously looking around the main lobby that they had just entered. "Is there something wrong, Donatello?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Nothing, I guess. It's just that I expected the museum to be more crowded," Donatello explained. "Even on a Sunday, there's usually a bigger crowd around here. We're practically the only ones here."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Ryo asked.

"I've been to the Museum of Natural History a ton of times, and even on slow days, there's bigger crowds than this. I have a feeling that something's up," Donatello muttered thoughtfully.

"Well, since it's around noontime, a lot of people must be out for lunch now," Rowen pointed out.

"I guess that would explain why the museum's not so busy," Donatello admitted.

"Hey, Donatello? Since you know so much about this place, where's the dinosaur exhibit?" Kento asked.

"It's straight ahead. Just follow me," Donatello instructed as the six boys cut through the main lobby. Donatello and his five friends never noticed something unusual going on in the security office, which they passed on their way to the dinosaur exhibit.

"Hurry it up, Bebop!" Rocksteady complained. "We have to meet the boss in the gem room with the Foot Soldiers!"

"Hold on! I'm almost done," Bebop muttered out loud as he finished tying up one of the two security guards. The two security guards had their hands and legs tied, and their mouths gagged.

"There. Finished," Bebop announced as he finished tying the last knot.

"Come on! Let's meet the boss!" Rocksteady announced as he headed for the door, followed by Bebop.

Rocksteady slowly opened the door a little bit and stuck his head out. He looked around to see if there was anyone there, but all he could see was a group of six teenage boys looking at a skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex, with their backs turned to him.

"Come on, Bebop. Let's get going," Rocksteady whispered. He slowly opened the door all the way and crept out into the lobby, followed by Bebop. Bebop turned around and accidentally slammed the door behind him. Rocksteady and Bebop froze dead in their tracks, hoping that neither of the six boys would turn around. After a few agonizing moments, the two mutants realized that the boys didn't hear them.

"Phew! That was close!" Bebop whispered as he let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Way to go, you dolt!" Rocksteady whispered loudly as he smacked Bebop upside the head.

"Huh?" Donatello muttered to himself. He had just heard a familiar voice coming from the lobby. He carefully turned his head to see who it was and gasped slightly when he recognized the two mutants tiptoeing in the opposite direction.

_Bebop and Rocksteady!_ What are they doing here? And how did they get past all of the security?" Donatello thought.

"Donatello, is there something wrong?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Umm...nothing," Donatello lied. "Excuse me for a minute. I need to use the bathroom. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

"Sure, Donatello," Rowen replied as he, Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Sage walked further into the dinosaur exhibit, while Donatello headed back into the lobby. Rowen turned around and was surprised to see Donatello walk right past the restrooms.

_That's strange. Donatello said that he knew the Museum of Natural History like the back of his hand, so of course he'd know where the bathroom is...unless he was covering up for something else,_ Rowen thought.

Donatello carefully walked down the lobby and approached the security office. He peered through the glass window in the door and gasped when he saw the two security guards tied up.

"So that's how they did it," Donatello muttered thoughtfully. He looked at the entrance to the gem room, where Bebop and Rocksteady went. "I better see what they're up to," Donatello told himself as he slowly crept up to the doorway and entered the gem room. He knelt behind a small guardrail surrounding the room and carefully peered over the top. "Shredder! And the Foot Soldiers!" Donatello gasped.

"Hurry up, you numbskulls! We don't have all day!" Shredder shouted at Bebop and Rocksteady as they quickly approached him and the fifteen Foot Soldiers. "Sorry, boss," Bebop apologized with a snort.

"Did you remember to turn off the alarms?" Shredder asked.

"We sure did, boss," Rocksteady replied.

"You better have. If the alarm goes off, the police will be here in no time!" Shredder warned his mutants as he approached the glass case covering the huge green gemstone. Using the sharp metal prawns on his steel gauntlets, Shredder slowly started to carve a circle in the glass.

"I better let the Turtles know about this," Donatello muttered to himself as he took out his Turtle Com and turned it on. "This is Donatello. Come in, guys!"

"Raphael here. What's going on, Donatello?" Raphael asked.

"You and the others need to come to the Museum of Natural History right away!" Donatello whispered.

"Why? So you can give us some boring lecture on a new exhibit?" Raphael retorted.

"No, Raphael. Shredder and his goons are here!" Donatello whispered.

"What? No way!" Raphael exclaimed.

"It's true, Raphael," Donatello explained. "I need you to get here right away, along with Leonardo and Michelangelo."

"You got it, Donatello. We're on our way!" Raphael announced before turning off his Turtle Com.

Donatello put away his Turtle Com and peered over the guardrail again. He could see that Shredder has finished cutting the circle in the glass. Shredder made a fist and punched the circle he just made, which knocked out the portion of glass.

"Quickly, get the emerald!" Shredder ordered Bebop.

"Right, boss," Bebop replied.

As the mutant warthog carefully reached into the glass case to pull out the emerald, Donatello whispered to himself, "I have to stop Shredder! If I wait any longer, he's gonna get away!" He reached behind him and was about to pull out the bo that was concealed underneath his clothes when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Huh? Rowen?" Donatello gasped when he saw his blue-haired friend crouched down next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question, Donatello. What's going on?" Rowen asked curiously. Donatello hesitated for a few moments, wondering whether he should tell Rowen the truth about the creeps in the same room as them and himself.

"You see that guy dressed like a human can opener, Rowen?" Donatello asked as he and Rowen both peered over the edge of the guardrail. Rowen slowly nodded his head.

"That guy is known as the Shredder. He's bad news," Donatello explained.

"So he's a criminal?" Rowen asked.

"Sure is," Donatello replied. "You probably saw for yourself that his mutant henchmen tied up the museum's security guards. Unless we do something, Shredder's gonna get away with that emerald."

"Then we have to stop him," Rowen announced, which caught Donatello a bit off guard.

"You have an idea?" Donatello asked.

"I sure do. Those mutants aren't exactly on the bright side, are they?" Rowen asked.

"You definitely got that right," Donatello muttered out loud.

"Then we can use that to our advantage, Donatello. You wouldn't happen to have some rope on you, would you?" Rowen asked.

While Rowen and Donatello were quickly formulating a plan, Bebop was carefully pulling the emerald out of the glass case.

"I got it!" Bebop shouted triumphantly as he held up the emerald.

"Excellent! Now let's get back to the Techno-Drome," Shredder announced.

"I don't think so!" a voice shouted from somewhere in the room.

"Who was that?" Rocksteady asked as he, Bebop, Shredder, and the Foot Soldiers looked around the room.

"Up here, you boneheads!" Rowen shouted. The group of thieves looked up and saw the blue-haired teenage boy standing by the entrance.

Shredder laughed sinisterly at the sight of Rowen. "And how do you plan on stopping us, little man?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'll have you know that the police are already on their way here," Rowen lied.

"He's bluffing. Rocksteady, Bebop, get him!" Shredder ordered his two mutant henchmen.

"You got it, boss!" Rocksteady agreed as he and Bebop started to walk toward Rowen.

"Rowen, who's holding the emerald?" Donatello whispered, who was concealed behind the guardrail.

"That huge mutant warthog has it," Rowen whispered just loud enough for Donatello to hear.

"You got to make him come to you, so we can get that emerald away from him," Donatello instructed.

"Gotcha," Rowen whispered.

"You're gonna get it now, Little Boy Blue!" Bebop remarked sarcastically with a snort.

"I'd like to see you try, pig face!" Rowen shouted. Bebop was obviously ticked off by Rowen's insult.

"You're about to get mashed, wimp!" Bebop shouted as he charged towards Rowen.

When Bebop was just a few feet away from him, Rowen shouted, "Now!" Donatello quickly responded by pulling the rope in his hands. The rope was quickly pulled taunt across the entrance in front of Bebop. Before he could stop himself, Bebop tripped over the rope and dropped the emerald in the process, which skidded across the lobby floor.

"Hurry, let's go now!" Donatello shouted as he let go of the rope.

As Rowen and Donatello ran into the lobby after the emerald, Shredder shouted, "After them, you klutz!"

"Sure thing, boss," Bebop muttered out loud as he stood up.

"I got it," Rowen replied as he picked up the emerald from the floor.

"We better find your friends and let them know what's going on," Donatello announced.

"Right," Rowen agreed as he and Donatello ran toward the dinosaur exhibit.

"Rowen, Donatello, where have you two been?" Cye asked curiously when he saw Rowen and Donatello running towards him, Kento, Ryo, and Sage.

"Whoa! Where the heck did you get that from?" Kento asked suspiciously, pointing at the emerald in Rowen's hand.

"There's no time to explain, guys," Rowen interrupted as he put the emerald in his pocket. "There are some thieves in the museum that are after this emerald."

"Where are the security guards?" Sage asked.

"Shredder's goons already tied them up," Donatello replied.

"Shredder? Who's that?" Ryo asked.

"Him!" Rowen shouted as he pointed at the entrance to the lobby. Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Donatello looked up and gasped when they saw Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Foot Soldiers blocking the entrance.

"Hey, it's a walking can opener!" Kento retorted with a snicker.

"Silence, boy!" Shredder shouted.

"He's got some nerve, calling me a boy!" Kento remarked angrily as he started to charge towards Shredder.

"Kento, don't!" Cye shouted as he and Sage held Kento back.

"Now, give me that emerald!" Shredder demanded.

"You'll have to catch us first!" Ryo shouted as he, Sage, Kento, Cye, Rowen, and Donatello ran through the dinosaur exhibit.

"After them!" Shredder ordered Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Foot Soldiers.

"With great pleasure, Master Shredder," Rocksteady agreed as he, Bebop, the Foot Soldiers, and Shredder ran after the teenage boys.

"We have to lose those creeps, but how?" Sage asked as he and his five friends continued running down the corridor.

"We'll have to split up. That way, it'll be easier to lose them," Donatello suggested. "There's an intersection coming up right...now!"

When the six boys reached the intersection in the corridor, Ryo and Sage turned left, Rowen and Donatello turned right, and Kento and Cye ran straight ahead.

"Blast it! They've split up!" Shredder shouted as he, his army of fifteen Foot Soldiers, and two mutants stopped at the intersection. "That kid with the blue hair could have passed that emerald to any one of his friends!"

"What do we do now, boss?" Bebop asked.

"We have no choice but to split up and hunt those boys down one by one until they hand over that emerald to us," Shredder muttered thoughtfully. "Rocksteady, you head down the right corridor. Bebop, you go straight ahead. I'll take the corridor on the left. Now, get going!"

"Yes, Master Shredder," Bebop replied as he headed down the corridor with five Foot Soldiers. Rocksteady ran down the right corridor, followed by five more Foot Soldiers, while Shredder ran down the left corridor with the remaining Foot Soldiers...

"Hurry, Sage, in here!" Ryo shouted as he ran into a large room, followed by Sage.

"What is this place?" Sage asked as they walked past display cases of antique oriental weapons and armor.

"It must be the feudal Japan exhibit that I heard about," Ryo muttered out loud as they walked through the room.

"Hey, Ryo, maybe we can use some of these weapons to fight back," Sage suggested as he studied a display case containing decorative antique katanas and battle swords.

"No, Sage. It would be wrong to use these weapons," Ryo protested. "That would be disrespecting our ancestors."

"What else are we supposed to do, Ryo?" Sage asked. "We can't transform into our armor here, and we can't keep running from those creeps. We have to fight back."

"I'd like to see you try!" a familiar voice shouted. Ryo and Sage turned around and gasped when they saw Shredder and five of his ninja soldiers standing in the doorway.

"It's that Shredder guy again!" Sage shouted.

"Now, which one of you has the emerald?" Shredder asked.

"Try and guess, metal head!" Ryo shouted as he and Sage stood ready to fight off Shredder and his Foot Soldiers.

"If you want it that way...Foot Soldiers, attack!" Shredder ordered his ninja soldiers. The Foot Soldiers responded by lifting up their laser blasters and firing them at Ryo and Sage.

"Jump!" Sage shouted. Ryo and Sage quickly jumped out of the way of the red lasers, which reflected off the glass protecting the feudal weapons.

"You're going down!" Ryo shouted as he charged toward two of the Foot Soldiers. He jumped high above their heads, landed behind them, and quickly punched the two Foot Soldiers in the face, knocking them down to the floor.

"Sorry to do this, Ryo, but desperate times call for desperate measures!" Sage muttered out loud as he grabbed a fire extinguisher and used it to break the glass covering the Japanese swords. He took out a long battle sword and a pair of katanas from the display case.

"Hey, Ryo! Catch!" Sage shouted as he threw the katanas high in the air. The pair of twin swords flew over all of the Foot Soldiers' heads and Ryo caught both of them by the handles.

"Now, this is more like it!" Ryo admitted as he removed the katanas from their sheaths. The two Foot Soldiers got back up and fired their laser blasters at Ryo. Ryo quickly responded by crossing the twin blades in the form of an X. The red lasers reflected off of the katanas' blades and headed back to the Foot Soldiers. To Ryo's surprise, the lasers burned large holes through the Foot Soldiers' stomachs, revealing metal parts, wires, and circuitry.

"What the...Hey, Sage! These soldiers are robots!" Ryo shouted.

"Then we should have no problem taking care of them, Ryo," Sage replied as he removed the battle sword from its sheath.

"I'll handle these robots, Sage. Think you can take on that Shredder guy?" Ryo asked as he swung his katanas at the two Foot Soldiers with the holes in their stomachs, cutting them both in half.

"You got it, Ryo," Sage replied as he turned his attention toward Shredder.

"You'll find me more of a challenge than you think, boy!" Shredder muttered sinisterly as he withdrew his own sword from the sheath attached to his belt.

"The same goes for me, too, chrome face!" Sage shouted.

"You will pay for that insult!" Shredder shouted as he swung his sword at Sage's feet in an attempt to trip him. Sage quickly jumped over the razor- sharp blade and swung his sword at Shredder. Shredder quickly used his sword to block Sage's sword.

"I must admit, you have excellent fighting skills for someone so young," Shredder admitted. "Perhaps you would be interested in joining my gang of Foot Soldiers."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass," Sage retorted. As the two were locked in combat, Ryo was continuing to fight off the three remaining Foot Soldiers.

"Sage, I can use a little help here," Ryo shouted as he chopped one of the Foot Soldiers' laser blasters in half.

"I'm a little busy here, Ryo," Sage muttered out loud as he blocked another swing from Shredder's sword.

"Perhaps I can be of some help!" a voice shouted from above them. Ryo gasped when a giant turtle wearing a blue mask dropped down from the ceiling.

"It's one of those wretched reptiles! Just what I need!" Shredder retorted under his breath as he continued his sword fight with Sage.

"Who or what are you?" Ryo asked as Leonardo removed his katanas from behind his shell.

"There's no time to explain," Leonardo interrupted. "First, we have to take care of these Foot Soldiers. Hi-ya!" Leonardo somersaulted over one of the remaining Foot Soldiers, turned around, and swung his katanas at his waist, cutting him in half.

"Look out!" Ryo shouted when the two remaining Foot Soldiers stared firing their laser blasters at him and Leonardo.

"Quickly, do exactly as I do!" Leonardo instructed as he held up his katanas.

"You got it," Ryo agreed.

"Now!" Leonardo shouted as he swung his katana at the incoming lasers, followed by Ryo. The lasers reflected off of their katanas and headed right back to the remaining Foot Soldiers, causing them to explode into piles of singed metal bits and fabric.

"All right! We smoked them!" Ryo admitted.

"Leave the Shredder to me! You two get out of here and call the police!" Leonardo instructed.

"Okay, if you say so," Ryo replied as he dropped the katanas. "Come on, Sage! Let's get out of here and find our friends!"

"I'm right behind you, Ryo!" Sage shouted as he dropped his sword and followed Ryo out of the room.

"I'll get them later, but for now, I'll finish you off, shellback!" Shredder shouted as he charged at Leonardo.

"I don't think so, Shred-Head! Turtles fight with honor!" Leonardo shouted as he blocked Shredder's sword with his katanas.

"And I fight dirty!" Shredder retorted as he tried to trip Leonardo with a roundhouse kick. Leonardo quickly jumped high in the air to avoid Shredder's cheap trick...

"Those two kids has gotta be in here somewheres," Bebop muttered out loud as he and his five Foot Soldiers entered a large room. The room contained several displays of stuffed African animals protected by panels of Plexiglas. In the center of the room was a display of a massive African bull elephant.

"Check the displays for 'em!" Bebop ordered the Foot Soldiers. The ninja robots nodded as they started to carefully examine the displays. They were all unaware that someone was watching them.

"What's going on out there, Cye?" Kento whispered to his friend, who was peering over the edge of the elephant display.

"Those Foot Soldiers and that huge warthog are searching for us, Kento," Cye whispered. "We best be getting out of here."

"I don't get why we can't just transform into our armors and take care of those ugly creeps!" Kento whispered a bit angrily as he smacked his fist in his other hand.

"Not a good idea, Kento. It's not like we're fighting Talpa all over again. This is different," Cye whispered. "Besides, this museum has security cameras recording our every move. Who knows how the people of this country would react if they see five foreign visitors transform into mystical armor? They'll think we're some sort of a threat to the nation and send the armed forces after us!"

"I guess you're right, Cye," Kento mumbled to himself.

"I found youse!" Bebop announced gleefully. Kento and Cye turned around and gasped when they saw the mutant warthog standing on the elephant display behind them. He jumped down from the display and landed on the marble floor.

"Oh, great! It's that ugly excuse for a football again!" Kento retorted.

"You wimps are about to get mashed!" Bebop shouted angrily.

Before he could grab Cye and Kento, a voice from above them shouted, "Cowabunga!" Bebop looked up and gasped loudly when a giant turtle wearing an orange mask swung down from the second floor on a rope and kicked him hard, sending him flying until he collided with the wall.

"Who the heck are you?" Kento asked.

"I'll explain it later, man," Michelangelo interrupted. "Gotta take of those Foot Soldiers first!" Michelangelo looked up at the second floor, cupped his hands over his mouth, and shouted, "Yo, Raphael! Come on down and join the party!"

"You got it, Michelangelo! Bonsai!" another voice shouted as a second turtle wearing a red mask swung down from the same rope and landed in front of Kento and Cye.

"What are you guys?" Cye asked.

"Don't tell me you never heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Raphael asked.

"Afraid not," Cye replied as he and Kento shook their heads no.

"What did you expect, dude?" Michelangelo asked Raphael. "They're from way, way outta town!"

"And youse shellbacks are gonna be turtle mush!" Bebop shouted as he stood up. "Get them!" The five Foot Soldiers quickly surrounded Cye, Kento, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

"Let's see, six against two. My kind of odds!" Raphael admitted as he and Michelangelo took out their weapons.

"Don't you mean six against four?" Cye asked.

"No offense, dudes, but let us handle this, okay?" Michelangelo asked. "We've had plenty of experience dealing with these guys."

"What makes you think we can't fight them?" Kento retorted.

"Save it for later, okay?" Raphael interrupted when he saw two Foot Soldiers charging towards them.

"Hey, dudes? What goes quack-quack?" Michelangelo asked.

"That's easy. A duck," Cye replied.

"Exactamundo!" Michelangelo shouted as he and Raphael intentionally fell back on their shells and used their feet to send the two Foot Soldiers flying.

"Now I get it. Get down, Kento!" Cye shouted. The two boys dropped down to the ground as the Foot Soldiers flew over them and crashed onto the marble floor behind them. Kento and Cye turned around and gasped when they saw two small piles of smoldering metal parts and fabric.

"Those ninjas were robots?" Kento gasped loudly out of shock.

"Exactamundo, dudes!" Michelangelo replied with a grin as he spun his nunchucks around. Meanwhile, two Foot Soldiers had cornered Raphael.

"Have you two ever met face-to-face?" Raphael asked sarcastically as he grabbed the Foot Soldiers by their heads and smacked them together, smashing them both into little pieces.

"They just don't make them like they used to." Raphael was startled when Bebop started firing his laser blaster at him. "I don't think so!" Raphael shouted as he threw one of his sais at Bebop.

"Hey! No fair!" Bebop complained as the sai implanted itself into his laser blaster, causing it to blow up in his hands.

"Come on, Cye! We can take those robots, even without our armor," Kento admitted.

"I'm right behind you!" Cye shouted. Together, the two boys tackled the last Foot Soldier and punched him repeatedly in the head, which soon exploded from the damage they caused.

"Bebop, you're about to get injured by a ninja!" Michelangelo shouted as he, Raphael, Kento, and Cye surrounded the mutant warthog.

"Umm...I just remembered something. I'm late for, umm...a dentist appointment! Mama!" Bebop shouted as he ran out of the room as fast as he could.

"We sure took care of old hog-breath, huh, Michelangelo?" Raphael asked.

"We sure did, dude!" Michelangelo agreed as they exchanged a high three.

"Hey, we helped out, too!" Kento pointed out.

"Knock it off, Kento! We have to find our friends," Cye interrupted.

"Yeah, we better find our buds, too, Raphael," Michelangelo admitted.

"You mean there's more of you?" Kento asked out of disbelief.

"Totally, dude! We have two more bros in here-" Michelangelo was stopped short by Raphael putting his hand over his mouth.

"You need to learn when to keep that big beak of yours shut, Michelangelo!" Raphael retorted. "We better book it!"

"Right, dude," Michelangelo agreed as the two Turtles ran out of the room.

"That's strange," Cye muttered thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and I thought giant alligators lived in the sewers, not giant turtles!" Kento remarked.

"Not that, Kento," Cye interrupted. "Those turtles, they said their names were Michelangelo and Raphael."

"Yeah, so?" Kento asked.

"Well, don't you find it a bit ironic that Rowen's friend, Donatello, has two brothers with the exact same names?" Cye asked. "You know, I thought Donatello looked a bit odd. He's rather short, he has only three fingers on each hand, and he has a massive hump on his back...Kento, do you know what this means?"

"Not exactly, but I have a feeling you're gonna tell me," Kento remarked.

"I know this sounds outrageous, but I think that Donatello is one of those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in disguise!" Cye announced.

"You really think so?" Kento asked.

"It has to be. There are just too many coincidences that add up. Come on, Kento. We better find Ryo, Sage, Rowen, and Donatello!" Cye shouted.

"You got it!" Kento agreed as he followed Cye out of the exhibit...

"They're catching up to us, Donatello!" Rowen shouted as he and Donatello turned into yet another corridor.

"Just hang on, Rowen! We're almost there!" Donatello shouted. The two boys soon reached a door at the end of the long corridor. Donatello tried to open the door, but came across a slight problem. "It's locked. We have to go back."

"Too late for that!" Rowen shouted. Donatello looked up and gasped when he saw Rocksteady and five Foot Soldiers heading towards them.

"We're trapped...like rats!" Donatello reluctantly admitted.

"Now you two are gonna get it!" Rocksteady taunted in a singsong tone. "Where's the emerald?"

"What makes you think that we have it?" Rowen asked.

"You can forget that. I'm not falling for any more of your tricks!" Rocksteady proclaimed.

"You should talk, rhino breath!" Donatello retorted.

"Hey, wait a minute! That voice sounds familiar," Rocksteady muttered thoughtfully.

"Uh-oh!" Donatello murmured under his breath.

"Donatello, what is he talking about?" Rowen asked.

"Donatello? Now I remember! You're one of them Turtles!" Rocksteady announced, pointing an accusing finger at Donatello.

"What is that overgrown rhinoceros talking about?" Rowen asked curiously.

Donatello was silent for a few moments, now knowing that there was only one way out of their predicament. "I meant to tell you about this, but it looks like you're about to see for yourself," Donatello muttered just loud enough for Rowen to hear. Rowen's eyes widened out of shock when Donatello pulled off a rubber mask, revealing a green face with a purple mask.

"I knew you was one of them shellbacks!" Rocksteady admitted gleefully as Donatello ripped of the remainder of his disguise.

"Congratulations! You win the grand prize!" Donatello retorted as he withdrew his bo.

"Really? Oh, goody! What did I win?" Rocksteady asked curiously.

"A free ninja lesson, courtesy of Donatello!" Donatello announced. Using his bo as a vault pole, Donatello hurdled over Rocksteady and the Foot Soldiers.

"Get that Turtle!" Rocksteady ordered the Foot Soldiers. The Foot Soldiers responded by charging towards Donatello.

"Fore!" Donatello shouted as he swung his bo, sending two of the Foot Soldiers flying towards the remaining Foot Soldiers, knocking them all down in a pile of tangled robotic parts.

"Let's see ya swing your way outta this!" Rocksteady announced sinisterly.

"Rowen!" Donatello gasped when he saw that Rocksteady had his human friend held tightly in a headlock.

"Let me go, you boneheaded imbecile!" Rowen shouted as he struggled to get out of Rocksteady's grip.

"Drop your weapon or your geeky friend here is gonna get it!" Rocksteady announced as he held his laser blaster against Rowen's back.

"Fine, Rocksteady," Donatello reluctantly agreed as he dropped his bo on the floor. "Now let him go!"

"Uh-uh! Not until I get that emerald! Now, where is it?" Rocksteady demanded.

"It's in my pocket," Rowen reluctantly revealed.

"You better give it to me, if ya know what's good for youse!" Rocksteady told Rowen as he poked him in the back with the laser blaster to prove his point. Rowen hesitated for a moment before he reached into his pocket, pulled out the emerald, and handed it to Rocksteady.

"All right! I got it!" Rocksteady announced as he held up the emerald triumphantly in his free hand.

"That's what you think!" Raphael shouted as he threw both of his sais at the mutant rhinoceros. One of the small weapons knocked the emerald right out of Rocksteady's hand, while the other sai destroyed Rocksteady's laser blaster.

"Good timing, guys!" Donatello admitted as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo joined him.

"Hey, we can't let you have all the fun, Donatello!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

"You better give up, Rocksteady! You're outnumbered four to one!" Leonardo shouted. "Let that kid go!"

"If you say so! Catch!" Rocksteady shouted as he lifted Rowen over his head and threw him towards the four Turtles.

"We got you, Rowen!" Donatello announced as he and the other Turtles stood ready to catch Rowen. The four Turtles ended up getting knocked down to the ground in their attempt to save Donatello's human friend.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," Rowen admitted.

"No problemo, dude," Michelangelo groaned.

"Just drop in any time!" Raphael retorted.

"Come on, Turtles! Rocksteady is getting away!" Leonardo shouted as he pointed at the retreating mutant rhinoceros.

"Stay here, Rowen," Donatello instructed as he and his three brothers ran after Rocksteady.

"Where did he go, dude?" Michelangelo asked.

"That way!" Leonardo shouted when he saw Rocksteady running down a flight of stairs. "Why would rhino breath go down into the basement?" Raphael asked as the four Turtles ran down the stairs.

"The modules must be down there," Donatello muttered thoughtfully. "So that's how Shredder and his mutants broke into the museum!"

"We better hurry or Rocksteady's going to get away!" Leonardo announced.

"Looks like we're too late!" Michelangelo reluctantly admitted when they reached the basement.

Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello looked up and gasped when they saw a transport module drill a hole into the basement's concrete floor. As soon as the module disappeared into the freshly drilled hole, the tunnel was immediately flooded with molten lava.

"Bummer, dudes! They got away!" Michelangelo remarked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Michelangelo," Raphael retorted.

"Look on the bright side, guys. At least they didn't get that emerald they came for," Donatello pointed out.

"Speaking of which, whatever happened to that emerald, Donatello?" Leonardo asked.

"I have it right here," Rowen announced as he entered the basement, carrying the emerald in his hand.

"Rowen!" Donatello gasped.

"That's good. When the police arrive, you can turn the emerald over to them," Leonardo admitted.

"Speaking of the boys in blue, we better beat it!" Raphael announced. "I totally dig that notion!" Michelangelo added

Leonardo looked around and spotted a steel grate in the concrete floor. "There's our way out. Come on, Turtles!" Leonardo announced as he removed the grate from the floor.

"Donatello, aren't you coming?" Raphael asked.

"Give me a minute, guys. I need to do something first," Donatello revealed.

"If you say so! Later, dude!" Michelangelo shouted as he headed down the hole leading into the sewer, followed by Leonardo and Raphael.

Donatello let out a deep sigh as he turned around to face Rowen. "Rowen, I'm sorry I never told you the truth about me," Donatello apologized. "It's kinda hard to explain something like this in a letter, you know."

"That's understandable," Rowen replied.

"You mean you're not freaked out about this?" Donatello asked curiously.

"I'll admit that I definitely wasn't expecting this, but after I got over the initial shock, it's no big deal," Rowen admitted.

"That's good...I guess," Donatello replied. "Listen, I have to go now, Rowen."

"What for, Donatello?" Rowen asked as Donatello headed for the sewer opening.

"Well, let's just say the police have a bit of a problem accepting the fact that we're on their side because we happen to be mutants," Donatello explained.

"I guess that makes sense. Most people tend to fear what they don't understand," Rowen replied.

"I can definitely vouch for that!" Donatello remarked.

"Rowen, where are you?" Rowen and Donatello heard Ryo shout.

"Sounds like your friends are looking for you," Donatello muttered out loud. "You should go back up there and join them."

"Am I ever going to see you again, Donatello?" Rowen asked curiously as Donatello stepped into the opening.

"I don't know if I'll be able to," Donatello reluctantly replied. "I'll have to call you later. Goodbye, Rowen."

"Donatello, wait!" Rowen protested as Donatello picked up the grating and put it back over his head. Rowen looked through the grating into the sewer below, but there was no sign of his friend.

"I hope Donatello keeps his promise," Rowen muttered to himself as he climbed up the basement stairs. "I have no idea how to contact him." When Rowen reached the top of the stairs, he noticed a round object lying on the floor.

"What is this?" Rowen asked himself as he picked up the small electronic device shaped like a turtle shell.

"Rowen! Over here!" Cye shouted.

Rowen turned his head around and saw his four friends running towards him, along with two security guards. He quickly shoved the turtle shell into his pocket before he turned around to face them.

"Where have you been, Rowen?" Sage asked curiously.

"Yeah! You missed all the excitement," Kento added.

"Believe me, I didn't miss all of it," Rowen muttered out loud.

"Listen up, Rowen. Sage and I found these security guards tied up and the police are also on their way here," Ryo explained.

"Well, they should be very relieved to know that those crooks didn't get away with this," Rowen revealed as he handed the emerald to one of the security guards.

"Thank you very much. You boys are heroes!" the security guard admitted.

"If you don't mind, boys, you'll have to stay here for a few minutes until the police arrive so you can give them a statement and explain to them what happened," the other security guard explained.

"We don't have any problem with that," Ryo admitted.

"Just come with us to the lobby," the first security guard instructed as he and the other guard led the five boys to the lobby.

"We don't exactly deserve all of this credit," Cye whispered to his friends. "If those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles didn't show up when they did..."

"You're right, Cye, but what can we do?" Sage asked. "It's not like we can find those Turtles and thank them personally."

"Maybe there is a way," Rowen murmured thoughtfully to himself as he looked back down at his pocket, which held the turtle shell-shaped electronic device that he found earlier...TO BE CONTINUED


	4. A Trip to the Sewers

NOT QUITE HUMAN

**Part Three: A Trip to the Sewers  
**  
"Come on! Turn it up!" Kento complained, who was sitting on top of his bed

"Hold on a second, Kento!" Sage retorted as he stood up, approached the television, and pressed a button under the television screen to increase the volume.

"This is the first time I ever seen you excited about seeing the news, Kento!" Ryo remarked as Sage sat back down on the floor between him and Rowen.

"Well, you have to admit, Ryo, it's not every day that we are the news," Cye pointed out, who was sitting on his own bed.

"Yeah, you're right, Cye," Ryo admitted. "This is a first for us, especially in another country!"

"Quiet, everyone! It's starting!" Rowen whispered as a young woman appeared on the television screen. She had short red hair and green eyes, and was wearing a one-piece yellow jumpsuit and white boots.

"This is April O'Neil, Channel Six News, live in front of the Museum of Natural History," the young woman reported. "Just minutes ago, an attempted robbery was stopped by these five young heroes right behind me."

"All right!" Kento cheered as the television showed him and his four friends on the steps of the museum, surrounded by a group of citizens that were applauding them for their heroic efforts.

"These five young men, visitors vacationing here from Japan, risked their lives today to stop a gang of dangerous thieves from stealing the largest emerald in the world," April continued. "The curator of the museum has offered them an award for their heroic deed, but they graciously declined the offer. Instead, the curator insists on paying for all of their expenses while they're here in New York City. If these young men are watching, the city thanks you for your help. This is April O'Neil of Channel Six News."

"That April O'Neil is pretty nice," Cye admitted as Ryo got up and turned off the television.

"Well, I think she's pretty, period!" Sage pointed out.

"Of course you would think that, Casanova!" Kento retorted as he threw his pillow at Sage.

"Hey!" Sage shouted as the pillow hit him in the back of the head. He picked up the pillow and threw it back at Kento, hitting him in the face.

"Don't start with me, Sage!" Kento warned Sage as he got off of his bed. "No one's ever beaten me in a pillow fight!"

"Knock it off, you two!" Cye interrupted as he stepped in between Kento and Sage. "It's getting late. We should all go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Speaking of which, what do you have planned for us tomorrow, Cye?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Well, I figured after that unexpected adventure we had at the museum, we need to relax a bit, and Central Park will be the perfect place to do that," Cye explained. "Afterwards, we'll have dinner and then go see 'Rent' on Broadway."

"How did you get tickets for that, Cye?" Sage asked curiously. "I thought that show was sold out."

"It is, Sage. The museum curator got them for us as a reward for preventing that emerald from being stolen," Cye revealed. "I couldn't turn down a rare opportunity like that."

"We should be getting back to our room, guys," Ryo announced as he, Sage, and Rowen headed for the door. "Good night, Kento, Cye."

"Good night, Ryo," Cye and Kento replied simultaneously as their three friends left their hotel room...

Meanwhile, down in the Techno-Drome, Krang was also watching the Channel Six News broadcast, along with Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady.

"Shredder, you idiot!" Krang shouted angrily as he turned away from the monitor. "Not only did you and those mutant morons of yours lose the emerald that I need for my power generator, you were also defeated by a bunch of children!"

"But Krang, it wasn't just them boys. The Turtles were there, too!" Bebop pointed out.

"That's just great! Because of you bungling idiots, the security at the museum is going to be doubled, making it even harder to steal the emerald!" Krang shouted angrily.

Shredder wasn't paying attention to what Krang was saying. His eyes were focused on the large monitor in front of him, which was showing a close up of the five teenage boys he ran into back at the museum.

"Shredder, are you ignoring me?" Krang asked suspiciously.

"No, Krang. It's just that those boys' fighting style looked familiar to me," Shredder muttered thoughtfully. "It's not ninjitsu. Their fighting technique is much older than that." Shredder suddenly started to walk out of the room towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Krang demanded.

"To do some special research, Krang. If I'm right about those boys, we shall have powers undreamed of!" Shredder proclaimed as he left the main control room...

"Donatello, what's bothering you?" Leonardo asked Donatello, who was just staring absently into empty space.

"Yeah, you haven't even touched any of your jelly bean and mushroom pizza," Raphael remarked.

"Hmm...what?" Donatello murmured as he shook it off.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm not hungry." Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo were surprised to hear Donatello say that and even more surprised to see him push away his plate of pizza.

"Are you okay, Donatello?" Leonardo asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Leonardo. Just a little tired. I'm going to bed," Donatello announced as he got up from the table.

"Well...since you're going to bed, Donatello, can I have your pizza?" Michelangelo asked curiously.

"Michelangelo!" Leonardo and Raphael shouted simultaneously.

"Go ahead, Michelangelo. Help yourself," Donatello replied as he left the kitchen.

"All right!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he reached across the table and grabbed Donatello's plate.

"This isn't like Donatello. Something must be bothering him," Leonardo muttered thoughtfully as Michelangelo practically inhaled the slices of pizza that Donatello left behind.

"You don't think it has to do with his pen pal, Rowen, do ya?" Raphael asked.

"I'll bet that's it, Raphael. Donatello's probably afraid that since Rowen found out about his secret, he won't want to see him again," Leonardo agreed.

Donatello let out a deep sigh as he plopped down on his bed. "What troubles you, Donatello?" Splinter asked as he entered the room.

"You know my pen pal, Rowen, Master Splinter?" Donatello asked.

"Yes. What about your friend?" Splinter asked curiously.

"Well, he found out that I'm a Turtle, by accident," Donatello reluctantly revealed to his sensei.

"Well, if he cannot accept who you are, my son, then he isn't your friend," Splinter replied.

"The thing is that Rowen didn't have any problem with this at all, Splinter. The problem is the way he found out about it. I wanted to tell him the truth myself, but now, Rowen probably thinks that I never intended to tell him the truth at all," Donatello revealed.

"Are you sure that is what Rowen believes, Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"I don't know, Master, but I'll bet that's what he's thinking," Donatello reluctantly admitted.

"Only time will tell. Good night, Donatello," Splinter announced as he left the room.

"Good night, Master Splinter," Donatello replied. He sat up in his bed, took out his bo, and laid it at the foot of his bed. Donatello reached for his Turtle Com, which he normally kept in his belt, but he felt nothing.

"Oh, no!" Donatello whispered worriedly as he looked down and frantically checked his belt. "My Turtle Com! I must have dropped it during the fight at the museum!" Donatello was about to get out of bed, but he soon stopped himself.

"I better not. The museum's already closed, and security's gonna be tight after what happened earlier today with Shredder and his goons," Donatello muttered thoughtfully to himself. "I'll go to the museum first thing tomorrow morning. Perhaps someone found it and turned it into the Lost and Found, probably mistaking it for a toy. Hopefully, Shred Head didn't get his grubby claws on it, otherwise he could possibly use it to hone into our frequency and locate our lair! Hopefully, that's not the case." With that idea in mind, Donatello laid back down on the bed and slowly closed his eyes...

"Hurry it up, Sage! We don't have all day!" Ryo shouted as he knocked loudly at the bathroom door.

"Hold on, Ryo! I'm almost done!" Sage shouted from inside the bathroom. A few moments later, Sage opened the bathroom door and came back into the hotel room.

"Come on, Rowen. Let's go," Ryo told Rowen, who was sitting on one of the beds, putting on his sneakers.

"I'll meet you guys down there, okay?" Rowen suggested as he tied his shoelaces. "I have to make a phone call, anyway."

"All right, Rowen. We'll see you later," Ryo replied as he and Sage left the hotel room.

As soon as Rowen finished tying his shoelaces, he carefully approached the door and opened it a crack. He could see Ryo and Sage boarding the elevator. Rowen closed the door, headed to a bed stand between the two beds, and pulled out the drawer. Lying inside of the drawer was the electronic device shaped like a turtle shell that Rowen found at the museum yesterday.

"This gadget must be a communication device of some sort," Rowen muttered thoughtfully to himself as he looked over the turtle shell in his hand. "The Turtles probably use this to keep in contact with each other. Perhaps if I can find the correct frequency, I can use this to contact Donatello." Rowen opened up the turtle shell and started pressing the buttons inside to adjust the radio frequency...

"Hi-ya!" Leonardo shouted as he swung his swords down at Raphael, who succeeded in blocking his brother's attack with his sais.

"You're gonna have to be quicker than that, Leonardo!" Raphael retorted as he pushed Leonardo away from him with a kick to the stomach. Michelangelo was leaning against the sewer wall, watching Leonardo and Raphael sparring with each other.

"About time you got up, Donatello!" Michelangelo remarked as Donatello entered the practice room. "Come on, let's practice!"

"I can't practice now, Michelangelo," Donatello muttered drowsily as he stretched his arms out and let out a long yawn. "I have to go to the museum."

"The museum? Now? What for, dude?" Michelangelo asked curiously.

"I lost my Turtle Com," Donatello reluctantly admitted.

"You lost your Turtle Com?" Leonardo repeated as he and Raphael stopped sparring. "That's not good, Donatello. What if someone finds it and uses it to track us down, like Shredder and Krang?"

"I know, Leonardo, I know. I'm going to retrace my steps and see if I can find it before someone else does," Donatello revealed as he went back into the bedroom to get his disguise. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound coming from Leonardo's Turtle Com.

"Maybe it's April. Shredder and his mutants must have struck again," Leonardo muttered thoughtfully as he took out his Turtle Com and turned it on. "This is Leonardo. What's up, April?"

To Leonardo's surprise, instead of the familiar face of April O'Neil appearing on the Turtle Com's mini- screen, a boy's face with blue hair and blue eyes appeared instead. "Huh? Who are you?" Leonardo asked out of shock.

"Hi, umm...this is Rowen Hashiba," the boy hesitantly replied.

"Hey, I remember you! You were one of those boys that was at the museum yesterday!" Leonardo recalled.

"Yeah, that was me and my friends," Rowen confessed.

"How did you tap into our frequency?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"I found this device shaped like a turtle shell at the museum," Rowen replied. "I figured that one of you Turtles must have dropped it."

"Yeah, the Turtle Com you're using belongs to Donatello," Leonardo revealed.

"Could I possibly speak with Donatello?" Rowen asked.

"Sure, Rowen. Hold on," Leonardo instructed Rowen as he walked into the bedroom. "Hey, Donatello!"

"Leonardo, have you seen my trench coat?" Donatello asked as he looked through a small closet filled with an assortment of clothes.

"There's no need for that, Donatello. Your Turtle Com has been found," Leonardo told him.

"That's a relief! Who found it, Leonardo? Was it April?" Donatello asked curiously as he turned around to face his brother.

"See for yourself," Leonardo announced as he handed his Turtle Com over to Donatello. Donatello looked at the Turtle Com and gasped when he saw Rowen's face on the mini-screen.

"Morning, Donatello. How are you doing?" Rowen asked.

"I'm fine. Listen, Rowen, about what happened yesterday...I just want to say I'm sorry," Donatello apologized.

"Sorry for what?" Rowen asked curiously.

"For not telling you the truth about me when I had the chance," Donatello revealed. "I didn't want you to find out the way you did."

"Does that mean you don't want to be friends anymore?" Rowen asked curiously.

"No, of course not!" Donatello replied. "Wait a minute! Are you saying that you still want to be friends with me after everything that has happened?"

"Of course I do, Donatello. As far as I see it, this secret of yours has no effect on our friendship," Rowen revealed.

"That's good. About my Turtle Com...is there any way I can meet you today so I can get it back?" Donatello asked curiously. "It's not that I don't trust you with it, Rowen. I just don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"I understand, Donatello," Rowen replied. "My friends and I are going to Central Park later today. You can meet me there to pick up your Turtle Com."

"That works for me," Donatello admitted.

"Where should I meet you?" Rowen asked.

"Don't worry, Rowen. I'll find you. Donatello out," Donatello replied before turning off the Turtle Com.

"So, you're going to meet up with Rowen at Central Park?" Leonardo asked.

"Yeah, Leonardo. Now I really need my trench coat. Where is it?" Donatello muttered to himself as he continued digging through the closet.

"Looking for this, Donatello?" Raphael asked. Donatello turned around and saw that Raphael was holding his trench coat.

"Thanks, Raphael," Donatello admitted as he took the trench coat from Raphael...

"This park is huge!" Kento remarked as he looked around at the several trees scattered around Central Park.

"Yeah, it sure is. I bet White Blaze would love it here," Ryo admitted.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Ryo, but I think there's a law in this country stating that you can't have wild animals for pets," Rowen pointed out.

"So, what should we do, Cye?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Well, we can walk around the park a bit, or we can visit the Central Park Zoo," Cye suggested as they continued walking down the path. "There's also a bird sanctuary in here and maybe we can make a quick visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art before we leave."

"Sounds like a plan, Cye," Kento admitted.

"I'm gonna have to pass, guys," Sage reluctantly admitted. "I have to go down to the public library."

"What for, Sage?" Ryo asked curiously.

"The people at Ellis Island suggested that maybe I can find records of Hamato Yoshi's immigration there," Sage reminded his friends. "I had no idea that Ellis Island stopped receiving immigrants in 1943."

"Good luck with that, Sage," Rowen replied.

"I'll be back in about an hour or two. Where should I meet you?" Sage asked.

"We'll wait for you at the Central Park Zoo," Cye suggested. "See you later, Sage."

"Later, guys!" Sage shouted as he headed in the opposite direction.

As Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Rowen continued walking through the park, they walked past a large decorative fountain. Rowen looked up and recognized a short figure on the other side of the fountain wearing a trench coat and hat.

"Excuse me for a minute, guys. I need to use the restroom," Rowen muttered out loud as he started to walk away from his friends.

"Do you want us to wait for you, Rowen?" Ryo asked.

"There's no need for that. I'll catch up with you," Rowen told them.

"Okay, Rowen. We'll see you in a few minutes," Cye replied as he, Ryo, and Kento continued heading to the Central Park Zoo.

"They don't know, do they?" Donatello asked as he approached Rowen.

"No, they don't," Rowen admitted. "I figured the less they know, the better. Well, anyway, here's your Turtle Com, Donatello." Rowen took the Turtle Com out of his pocket and handed it to Donatello.

"Thanks a lot, Rowen," Donatello replied as he put the Turtle Com in his trench coat pocket.

The two friends stood there for a few moments of awkward silence. "You should get going, Rowen," Donatello reluctantly admitted. "Your friends are waiting for you."

"Yeah, I'd better," Rowen agreed as he started to walk away. He stopped himself and turned around to face Donatello. "Umm, Donatello, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Donatello asked curiously.

"Do you think that I could possibly come to your lair?" Rowen asked.

"Umm...I don't know about that," Donatello replied. "I'd have to ask Splinter about it."

"Well, if it's okay with him, I'd like to check it out," Rowen admitted. "You mentioned in your letters to me that you're an inventor. I would like to check out some of your inventions, if you don't mind."

"Sure, definitely," Donatello agreed. "It'd be great to have another scientific mind look over my inventions. Matter of fact, the Turtle Com happens to be my very first invention."

"Very clever, I'll have to admit," Rowen admitted.

"Thanks, Rowen," Donatello replied. "Anyway, I'll go talk to Master Splinter and see if it's okay with him for you to come down to the lair. How long will you be staying in Central Park?"

"Until four o'clock, I'll wager," Rowen revealed.

"It'll just take me about an hour or so to get the answer. I'll be back soon, Rowen," Donatello announced as he headed to a sewer cover a few yards away from the fountain.

"See you later, Donatello," Rowen replied as he ran off to join his friends at the Central Park Zoo...

"Man, I'm starving! Is there any place where we can get something to eat?" Kento complained.

"Calm down, Kento. There's a hot dog stand right there," Cye announced, pointing at a hot dog stand ahead of them.

"All right!" Kento shouted as he, Cye, Ryo, Sage, and Rowen got in line.

"Any luck finding information on that friend of your father's, Sage?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, I didn't find much on Hamato Yoshi," Sage revealed. "I did find records for when he arrived in New York City, but there's no mention of any current home address for him."

"What kind of hot dogs do you guys want?" Kento asked, who was next in line.

"Just get us whatever you're getting, only in normal-sized proportions!" Cye joked sarcastically.

"Ha, ha! Very funny!" Kento retorted under his breath. While Kento was ordering the food, Ryo, Cye, Sage, and Rowen sat down on some nearby benches.

"So you have no idea where Hamato Yoshi lives now?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Not a clue. For all I know, he could be living in another state altogether!" Sage reluctantly revealed.

"Here you go, guys!" Kento announced as he joined his four friends, carrying two cardboard boxes.

"What did you order for us, Kento?" Rowen asked curiously.

"The same thing I got: chili dogs with cheese!" Kento replied as he handed Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Rowen each a long hot dog topped with chili and cheese.

"Kento, I said normal-sized proportions!" Cye remarked. "These hot dogs are huge!"

"They are normal-sized proportions, Cye! These are foot-long hot dogs!" Kento explained.

"Knowing Kento, he could probably finish one of these in one bite!" Sage retorted.

"Knock it off, Sage!" Kento muttered angrily under his breath, while Ryo, Cye, and Rowen laughed out loud. Rowen caught something in the corner of his eye and turned around. He gasped slightly when he saw Donatello standing next to the hot dog stand.

"Rowen, what's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"Umm...nothing," Rowen muttered out loud as he looked back at his friends.

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" Cye remarked before taking a bite out of his chili dog.

"Don't worry about it. It was nothing," Rowen reassured his friends.

"I still can't believe everything that happened to us yesterday," Ryo muttered out loud. "We end up fighting off a man with a metal mask, a couple of ugly mutants, and a bunch of ninja robots, and to top it all off, we meet up with this city's local vigilantes: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"Well, opinions vary when it comes to the Turtles, Ryo," Cye revealed. "While some people see them as heroes, others say that they're no better than the criminals they fight."

"I think those people who see the Turtles as threats are just misjudging them because they happen to be mutants," Rowen muttered out loud before taking another bite of his chili dog.

"Perhaps you're right about that, Rowen," Cye agreed.

"You know, I recognized those uniforms that the robot ninjas wore," Sage announced. "It was the uniform of the Foot Clan."

"The Foot Clan? Isn't that the criminal gang that used to terrorize everyone back in Japan?" Kento asked.

"The Foot Clan wasn't always a criminal gang, Kento. It used to be an honorable clan that taught the ancient art of ninjitsu to its students. As a matter of fact, my father's friend, Hamato Yoshi, was the shidoshi, or teacher of the ancient arts, for the Foot school," Sage revealed. "That is, he was until he was framed for attempting to assassinate the school's sensei."

"How can you be so sure that Hamato Yoshi was framed for this?" Ryo asked curiously. "Maybe he did plan on killing the sensei, but he got caught before he had the chance."

"My father and Hamato Yoshi were the best of friends, Ryo. My father knows deep down that Hamato Yoshi would never do anything like this," Sage explained. "I remember meeting Hamato Yoshi myself when I was a young boy. He didn't seem like the type of person that would be capable of murder. Anyway, there's another reason why my father suspects that Yoshi was framed."

"And what's that?" Rowen asked.

"Hamato Yoshi told my father on several occasions about a man who was a threat to his leadership in the Foot Clan. His name was Oroku Saki, and ironically, when Yoshi was banished from the Foot Clan, Saki took over as the shidoshi. After that, the Foot Clan changed from a honorable clan of the ancient arts to an army of crime."

"Hold on a minute, Sage. Are you saying that the man in the metal mask we fought yesterday was Oroku Saki?" Ryo asked.

"It could have only been two men: Oroku Saki or Hamato Yoshi. There's no way it could have been Yoshi, so it had to be Saki," Sage explained. "Besides, that man calling himself the Shredder, his fighting style was that of the Foot Clan. I've seen Hamato Yoshi demonstrate the Foot technique before, so I'd recognize it when I see it."

"Guys, don't look now, but I think someone's spying on us," Cye whispered just loud enough for his friends to overhear.

"Where is he, Cye?" Ryo whispered.

"He's next to the hot dog stand, the one wearing the trench coat," Cye whispered.

_Trench coat? Oh, no! They're talking about Donatello!_ Rowen thought to himself.

"What do you suppose that guy wants?" Sage asked aloud.

"Why don't we go ask him?" Kento asked as he stood up, followed by Ryo, Cye, Sage, and a hesitant Rowen. The five boys started to walk over to the figure in the trench coat. Realizing that he has been spotted, the figure quickly walked away from the hot dog stand and headed behind the bathroom.

"Hey, buddy! Where do you think you're going?" Kento shouted as he and his friends ran after the retreating figure.

"No, guys! Wait!" Rowen shouted as he ran after his friends.

"Look! There he goes!" Cye shouted when he and his friends spotted the figure lifting up a metal grate leading down into the sewers.

"I don't think so, pal!" Kento shouted as he jumped on top of the grate, preventing the figure from escaping into the sewers.

"Kento, stop!" Rowen protested. "He's not who you think he is!"

"Rowen, do you know this guy?" Ryo asked curiously. Rowen hesitated for a moment, not knowing if Donatello wanted his identity to be revealed.

"It's okay, Rowen," Donatello replied, catching Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento by surprise.

"You're Donatello, one of those Ninja Turtles!" Cye gasped loudly.

"Yeah, that's me," Donatello replied, lifting the brim of his hat so the others could see his face.

"What are you doing here?" Kento asked suspiciously.

"I told him to come here, Kento." Ryo, Kento, Cye, and Kento turned around and looked at Rowen in surprise.

"What's going on, Rowen?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Yesterday, at the museum, I found something that belonged to Donatello. I told him to meet me here today so I could give it back to him," Rowen explained.

"Rowen, why didn't you just tell us?" Sage asked curiously.

"Well, after the way you guys reacted when you first found out about Donatello's true identity, I figured that you would be against it," Rowen reluctantly revealed.

"Don't worry about it, Rowen. It's no big deal," Cye replied.

"Besides, this gives us a chance to thank the Ninja Turtles for their help yesterday...or at least one of them," Ryo pointed out.

"I'll pass that on to my brothers," Donatello replied.

"Donatello, do you think that maybe they can come with us?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Come with you where?" Kento asked suspiciously.

"To the Turtles' lair," Rowen explained. "That would give you the chance to thank the other Turtles face- to-face."

"I don't know if I can do that, Rowen," Donatello revealed. "I only got permission to bring you. I wasn't expecting your friends to come along with us."

"Why not ask on your Turtle-Com?" Rowen suggested.

"Besides, Rowen's not going anywhere with you without us!" Kento announced.

"Kento! You know better than to talk to one of my friends like that!" Rowen shouted a bit angrily.

"I'm sorry, Rowen," Kento apologized.

"Look, I'll see what I can do," Donatello announced as he took out his Turtle-Com and turned it on. "Master Splinter, come in."

"What is it, Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"Master, would it be all right with you if Rowen's four friends come with me as well?" Donatello asked a bit hesitantly.

"Of course, they may come with you, Donatello. Just as long as they promise not to reveal the location of our lair to anyone," Splinter replied.

"Thank you, Master Splinter. Where are the others?" Donatello asked.

"Leonardo and Raphael are in the city getting groceries, and Michelangelo is skateboarding in the sewers somewhere," Splinter revealed.

"All right, we're on our way, Master Splinter. Donatello out."

"Well, what did that guy Splinter say?" Kento asked a bit impatiently as Donatello put away his Turtle-Com.

"It's okay by him, but you all have to swear you'll never tell anyone where our lair is," Donatello told the five teenage boys.

"You have our word, Donatello. We won't tell a soul about your lair," Rowen promised as Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento nodded their heads in agreement.

"All right, guys. We should get going now before anyone sees us," Donatello whispered out loud as he once again lifted the metal grate leading down into the sewers below...TO BE CONTINUED


	5. An Old Friend, A New Enemy

NOT QUITE HUMAN

**Part Four: An Old Friend, A New Enemy  
**  
"Are we there yet?" Kento asked a bit impatiently. He and his four friends have been following Donatello through the sewers for about twenty minutes.

"We're almost there, Kento," Donatello replied as he turned left into another sewer tunnel. The six teenage boys soon reached a wide tunnel with a river of sewage water running through it.

"Great! Now we have to wade through this stinky sewer sludge!" Kento complained as he, Cye, Ryo, Sage, and Rowen covered their noses.

"No, you don't," Donatello pointed out as he picked up a wide wooden plank that was propped up against the wall. He laid the plank across the tunnel, creating a makeshift bridge right across the river of sewer sludge.

"Okay, everyone across, one at a time," Donatello instructed.

"I'll go first," Rowen announced as he stepped forward. Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento, and Donatello watched as Rowen slowly walked across the wooden plank. It only took Rowen less than a minute to cross the makeshift bridge to the other side.

"Come on, guys. This is easy," Rowen told Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento.

"Let's go," Ryo announced as he crossed the wooden plank, followed by Sage, Cye, Kento, and Donatello. Donatello dragged the wooden plank across the river of sewer sludge and propped it against the wall.

"Which way now, Donatello?" Sage asked curiously.

"This way," Donatello replied as he pointed at another tunnel in front of him.

"Donatello, if you don't mind me asking, how did you and your brothers become, umm...?" Rowen asked a bit hesitantly.

"Mutants?" Donatello asked.

"Yeah, mutants," Rowen admitted.

"Well, the whole thing happened over fifteen years ago," Donatello started as he continued leading the five teenage boys through the sewers. "My brothers and I were originally four ordinary pet shop turtles, but by accident, we ended up in the sewers. We came in contact with a powerful mutagen, which caused whatever touched it to take on the form of whatever animal they have most recently been in contact with. Because of that, we all started to become human, since we have most recently been in contact with humans. And for obvious reasons, we had to live down here in the sewers."

"What about this Master Splinter you've been talking about? Is he a turtle, too?" Ryo asked curiously.

"No, he's a rat," Donatello replied. "You see, Splinter used to be human, kinda like you guys. When he first came here to America, he was forced to live in the sewers because he didn't have any money. Like us, Splinter came in contact with the mutagen. And as you probably noticed, the most common animal living down here in the sewers are..."

"Rats!" Kento shouted.

"Exactly," Donatello admitted.

"No! I mean rats!" Kento repeated, pointing behind him. Donatello, Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Rowen turned around and saw the two sewer rats chewing on some garbage.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a couple of rats, Kento!" Cye retorted as he tried to muffle his snickering.

"You better not be, Kento, because we'll soon be meeting a rather large rat," Rowen pointed out.

"I wasn't scared, guys! I was just...startled. That's all," Kento tried to convince his friends.

"Sure you were," Sage retorted under his breath.

"COWABUNGA!" a voice echoed loudly from somewhere in the sewers.

"Who was that?" Kento asked curiously.

"Sounds like Michelangelo. Splinter told me that he was skateboarding in the sewers," Donatello revealed. "Sounds like he's nearby."

"How can you tell, Donatello?" Rowen asked. "That echo could have come from anywhere."

"When you live in the sewers as long as I have, you pick up on certain things," Donatello explained as he reached a wide sewer tunnel with several large sewer pipes connected on either side.

"Which way now?" Kento asked as he stopped at one of the huge sewer pipes and turned around to face Donatello and his four friends.

"This way," Donatello replied, pointing at the tunnel that Kento was standing at.

"See you guys at the end of the tunnel!" Kento shouted as he ran down the tunnel ahead of everyone.

"Kento, wait for us!" Cye shouted as he, Ryo, Sage, Rowen, and Donatello ran down the tunnel after Kento. Before they even got halfway down the tunnel, they could see Kento collide with someone riding on a skateboard.

"Kento, are you all right?" Cye asked as he helped Kento stand up.

"Yeah, I think so," Kento muttered out loud as he held his head in his hand.

"Michelangelo, what about you?" Donatello asked his younger brother, who was rubbing the top of his bald green head.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Good thing I have such a thick shell!" Michelangelo replied.

"And you got a thick skull to match, Michelangelo!" Donatello remarked with a quick chuckle as he helped Michelangelo get up.

"Donatello, what's going on here?" Michelangelo asked curiously when he noticed five human boys standing around him and Donatello. "I thought you were only bringing one dude down here, not five!"

"There was an unexpected change of plans," Donatello revealed.

"Is Splinter cool with this?" Michelangelo asked. "If not, you're gonna be in so much trouble, Donatello!"

"No need to worry, Michelangelo. I already contacted Splinter about it," Donatello explained.

"I'll head back to the lair with you," Michelangelo announced as he picked up his skateboard. "I'm ready for some pizza!"

"Come on, Michelangelo," Donatello replied as he continued leading Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen further into the sewers, followed by Michelangelo.

"Hey! I remember you two dudes from the museum!" Michelangelo announced as he walked next to Cye and Kento. "What are your names again?"

"I'm Cye, and this is Kento," Cye replied.

"You and that other Turtle totally annihilated those Foot Soldiers yesterday!" Kento admitted.

"No problem-o, dude. Those robots are a piece of cake! And 'that other Turtle' was my bro, Raphael," Michelangelo pointed out.

"Okay, we're here," Donatello announced as he stopped at a large opening. Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen looked into the opening and could see a couch, a television set, and a coffee table in a large room with some old rugs on the floor.

"Here we are. Home, sweet home," Donatello admitted as he took off his hat and trench coat.

"Nice place you got here," Kento muttered out loud as he looked around the living room.

"This is about as nice as you can get down here in the sewers," Donatello told Kento. "This is the living room, and we also have a kitchen, our bedroom, the practice area, and over there is my workshop, where I keep and work on my inventions."

"Let's go straight to this workshop of yours, Donatello," Rowen requested.

"You read my mind, Rowen," Donatello admitted as he led Rowen and his four friends into his workshop.

"Wow! This is incredible!" Rowen whispered in astonishment as he looked around at all the tools and gadgets in the room.

"Rowen kind of reminds me of Kento in a candy store!" Cye remarked.

"Watch it, Cye!" Kento muttered angrily.

"How did you do all of this, Donatello?" Rowen asked curiously.

"I've constructed my inventions by using scrap metal and broken appliances I find down at the city dump," Donatello explained.

"Very impressive," Rowen admitted.

"Thanks, Rowen," Donatello replied.

"What is this?" Rowen asked as he pointed at a small generator that was attached to a large flat screen.

"That's my portable interdimensional portal generator," Donatello explained. "With it, I can open portals to other worlds that no one could have possibly imagined have existed in the first place."

"I had no idea that there were other dimensions out there. This is actual proof that parallel universes indeed exist, Donatello!" Rowen exclaimed. "You could earn the Nobel Prize for this!"

"Yeah, I guess so, but I can't exactly go up there and accept it, Rowen," Donatello pointed out.

"Oh, that's right," Rowen muttered out loud.

"If you think that's impressive, Rowen, just take a look at this!" Donatello announced as he lead Rowen over to his worktable.

"You dudes bored yet?" Michelangelo asked Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento. "I know I am!"

"You definitely read my mind!" Kento admitted.

"What about Rowen and Donatello? Do we leave them in here?" Cye asked.

"We might as well, Cye. I don't think we'll be able to pry Rowen away from this room for a while," Ryo pointed out.

"They'll be okay. Once Donatello starts talking about his inventions, it's hard to make him stop!" Michelangelo confessed.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Sage asked.

"Leonardo told me that you two dudes were pretty handy with a sword," Michelangelo revealed, pointing at Ryo and Sage. "How about we get in a little practice, mano a turtle-o?"

"I guess we could do that, but we don't exactly carry swords on us," Ryo pointed out.

"No sweat, dudes! Just follow me!" Michelangelo announced as he headed into another room, followed by Ryo, Sage, Kento, and Cye.

"So this is where you guys practice?" Kento asked as he looked around the large room, with a variety of weapons hanging on the wall and mats on the floor.

"Exactamundo, Kento!" Michelangelo admitted as he approached the wall holding the weapons. "So, which one of you dudes wants to tangle with a Turtle?"

"I'll accept your challenge, Michelangelo," Ryo announced as he removed a pair of swords from the wall. "What about you? Where are your weapons?"

"Right here, Ryo," Michelangelo revealed as he pulled out the pair of nunchucks from his belt and started whirling them around...

"Okay, tell me again, Leonardo: what's with the asparagus and yogurt?" Raphael asked curiously. He and Leonardo, both dressed in trench coats and matching hats, were walking through the sewers back to the lair. Raphael and Leonardo were each carrying two paper bags filled with groceries.

"It's for pizza, of course," Leonardo explained. "Think healthy for a change, Raphael!"

"Yuck! And I thought Michelangelo came up with the most bizarre pizza toppings!" Raphael retorted as they entered the living room of their secret lair. Suddenly, the two Turtles were surprised by strange noises coming from the practice area.

"What was that?" Raphael asked curiously as he and Leonardo put their bags down on the floor and took off their trench coats and hats.

"I don't know, Raphael. We better go check it out," Leonardo suggested. Raphael nodded in agreement as they slowly approached the practice area, where the noises were coming from.

As they peered into the room, Leonardo and Raphael could see Michelangelo fighting off a young man with long black hair, who was armed with a pair of katanas. They didn't see Sage, Cye, and Kento, who were leaning against the wall out of their sight.

"An intruder! How did he get past the security system without us knowing about it?" Leonardo muttered out loud.

"Don't look at me, Leonardo! That's Donatello's department!" Raphael remarked.

"We have to stop him!" Leonardo revealed as he withdrew his swords from the leather sheaths attached to the back of his shell.

"I'll back you up, Leonardo!" Raphael announced as he removed his sais from his belt.

"Wait a minute, Raphael. That boy, he looks familiar," Leonardo confessed as he carefully watched the human that was fighting Michelangelo. A few seconds later, the boy turned his head slightly toward where Leonardo and Raphael were.

"That's one of the boys I met at the museum yesterday when I fought the Shredder!" Leonardo realized as he put away his swords.

"But why is he fighting our brother?" Raphael asked as he cautiously put away his sais.

"I don't know, but let's find out," Leonardo suggested as he and Raphael entered the practice area.

"Hey, Leonardo! Raphael!" Michelangelo greeted as he and Ryo stopped sparring.

"Hey, Michelangelo. What are you up to?" Raphael asked curiously.

"Oh, we were just practicing," Michelangelo confessed as he tucked his nunchucks back into his belt. "You remember these dudes from the museum, right?"

"Of course, we do. But wasn't there five of you?" Leonardo asked after noticing Cye, Kento, and Sage leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, our friend, Rowen, is inside with Donatello," Sage replied.

"How cute! The nerds are hanging out together!" Raphael remarked.

"Hey, don't you call our friend a nerd!" Kento shouted. "If anyone's gonna get away with calling Rowen a nerd, it's gonna be me!"

"Oh, boy!" Cye muttered out loud as he shook his head in disapproval.

"Cool it, Kento! Don't forget, we're guests here," Ryo reminded Kento as he put the katanas back on the wall.

"Yeah, yeah," Kento mumbled under his breath

"Sorry, but we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Leonardo and this is Raphael," Leonardo introduced.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ryo, and this is Kento, Cye, and Sage," Ryo introduced.

"Leonardo, Raphael, you're back," Donatello announced as he entered the practice area, followed by Rowen. "Rowen, these are my two other brothers that I told you about earlier: Leonardo and Raphael."

"Pleasure to meet you both," Rowen replied.

"Same here, Rowen," Leonardo replied.

"What's going on, my students?" Splinter asked as he walked into the practice area with his walking stick in hand.

"Greetings, Master Splinter," Leonardo greeted as he bowed respectively to Splinter.

"Master, I would like you to meet my pen pal, Rowen Hashiba," Donatello announced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Splinter," Rowen replied as he bowed to Splinter out of respect.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Rowen," Splinter admitted. "Donatello has spoken very highly of you."

_That voice, it sounds familiar,_ Sage thought. _And that kimono...it looks just like the one I've seen Hamato Yoshi wear. That kimono was only given to the shidoshi of the Foot Clan, and there can't be two identical kimonos out there. Is it possible that this old rat is actually my father's long- lost friend?_

"And who are these young men?" Splinter asked curiously as he turned towards Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento.

"These are my friends, Splinter. They came with me to New York," Rowen explained. "This is Ryo Sanada, Cye Mouri, Kento Rei Fuan, and Sage Date."

"Sage Date, hmm...that name sounds familiar," Splinter muttered thoughtfully.

"There may be a reason for that, Splinter. I know this is possibly a stab in the dark, but were you at one time a man named Hamato Yoshi?" Sage asked curiously. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo all gasped loudly when they heard Sage say Splinter's real name.

"Yes, I was Hamato Yoshi before I became what you now see before you," Splinter admitted.

"Hold on. How do you know about Splinter's human form?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"Hamato Yoshi is a friend of my father's. My dad asked me if I could try to find Yoshi while I was vacationing in New York City," Sage explained as he reached into his jacket and took out a worn black and white photograph. "He wanted me to show you this."

A small smile spread across Splinter's face when he recognized the photograph. "Yes, I remember my old friend, Seiji Date," Splinter admitted as Sage handed him the photograph so he could look at it. "This picture was taken over fifteen years ago. It's been so long since I've seen Seiji. How is my old friend?"

"He's doing just fine, Yoshi. He's been very concerned about you, though. You never wrote to him or contacted him at all after you left Japan," Sage revealed.

"Times were difficult when I first arrived here in America. I was penniless and forced to live down here in this maze of underground tunnels," Splinter explained. He looked up at Sage before he continued. "You were only two years of age when I last saw you. You have grown into quite an exceptional young man these past fifteen years, Sage."

"Thank you, Yoshi," Sage replied as he bowed his head slightly.

"It seems that we have quite a bit of catching up to do, Sage," Splinter confessed. "Perhaps you and your friends can stay for dinner."

"Certainly, Yoshi. That is, if it's okay with you guys," Sage replied as he looked over at Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Rowen.

"Well, I certainly have no problem with that," Rowen admitted.

"Same here," Ryo added as Cye and Kento both nodded their heads in agreement.

"It is settled, then," Splinter admitted.

"All right! I'll just toss some extra pizzas in the oven, dudes!" Michelangelo announced as he made a beeline for the kitchen.

"And in case Michelangelo's taste in pizza isn't to your liking, I could prepare some sushi," Splinter revealed.

"Thank you, Hamato Yoshi...or do you prefer Splinter instead?" Sage asked curiously.

"Splinter will suffice, Sage," Splinter admitted...

"Let's see..." Shredder muttered thoughtfully. He was in a large room inside of the Techno-Drome, going through a small pile of antique oriental scrolls on a table.

"Ah-ha! I've found it!" Shredder announced as he picked up another scroll, unrolled it, and spread it out on top of the table. "Everything about the legend of the nine armors is right here. And if the legend is true...then those five boys should possess the five Ronin armors! I must tell Krang about this."

Shredder quickly rolled up the scroll, tucked it under his arm, and left the room. He eventually entered the main control room that contained the trans-dimensional portal.

"What is it now, Shredder?" Krang demanded, who was standing in the main control room.

"I have something to show you, Krang," Shredder announced as he held out the scroll so Krang could read it.

"What is this nonsense? How do you expect to get any energy from some legendary armor that doesn't even exist?" Krang asked.

"The armor does exist, Krang, and those five boys from the museum have it," Shredder revealed.

"How can you be so sure, Shredder?" Krang asked curiously.

"First of all, the boys' fighting technique was that of the samurai," Shredder explained. "The fighting style of the samurai is even older than ninjitsu, but it's hardly practiced anymore. Therefore, it would be unlikely that five teenage boys would know this technique."

"Is that all you have? That doesn't prove anything, Shredder!" Krang shouted angrily.

"Just be patient, Krang. There's more," Shredder explained. "According to the legend, the five Ronin armors can merge together to form an even more incredible armor known as the armor of Inferno, capable of mass destruction. With such a powerful armor at our command, Krang, nothing can stop us from getting the power we need for the Techno-Drome and taking over the world, not even those blasted pizza-loving shellbacks!"

"Hmm...that is an interesting proposition, Shredder, but do you have any proof that this armor even exists?" Krang asked.

"I will be able to prove it soon, Krang. According to my research, the first man to ever wear the armor of Inferno was a samurai by the name of Hariel," Shredder explained. "I managed to trace down a descendent of Hariel in Japan named Ryo Sanada. He happens to be one of the five boys I encountered in the museum yesterday. And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Ryo and his four friends possess the five Ronin armors that can create the armor of Inferno."

"And how do you plan on getting this armor from them, Shredder?" Krang inquired.

"Simple, Krang. I planted a tracking device on one of the boys yesterday in the museum," Shredder explained. "I'll corner them with an army of my Foot Soldiers and force them to give their armor to me."

"If this armor is as powerful as you claim it is, Shredder, then these boys won't be giving that up without a fight," Krang pointed out.

"I know, Krang. Do you have any weapons that I can use to steal the armor?" Shredder asked.

"Perhaps," Krang muttered out loud as he approached a metal chest, opened it, and removed a large laser gun from the chest. "This special laser blaster can create a powerful electromagnetic force field around anyone or anything you fire at. The force field is impenetrable. Nothing can break through it," Krang boasted as he handed the weapon to Shredder.

"Excellent. Those armors will soon be ours, Krang, I promise you that," Shredder admitted as he held the laser blaster in his steel-clawed hands.

"You better not fail me again, Shredder," Krang warned Shredder.

"I won't fail this time, Krang," Shredder tried to convince Krang. He approached the large monitor and pressed a button, activating the intercom. "Bebop! Rocksteady! Come to the control room immediately, and bring thirty Foot Soldiers with you! We're going to the surface!" Shredder shouted into the intercom.

"Right away, Master Shredder!" Rocksteady replied through the intercom...TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Ronins to Arms!

NOT QUITE HUMAN

**Part Five: Ronins to Arms!  
**  
"Thank you for dinner, Splinter," Sage admitted.

"The sushi and sashimi were excellent," Cye added.

"Thank you," Splinter replied. The five teenage boys, Splinter, and the Turtles were having dinner in the practice area, since the kitchen wasn't big enough for all of them.

"Well, why don't you dudes have some pizza?" Michelangelo asked.

"What is that?" Ryo asked suspiciously, referring to the odd-looking toppings on the three remaining pizzas.

"We got bananas and sausage, pepperoni and ice cream, or anchovies and peanut butter," Michelangelo explained.

"Ugh! How can you eat that junk?" Rowen retorted.

"How can you eat raw fish? Yuck!" Donatello asked as he stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"I'll give it a try!" Kento announced, catching his four friends by surprise.

"Kento, you can't be serious!" Ryo exclaimed as Kento looked over the three pizzas.

"When it comes to food, he's always serious!" Cye joked teasingly.

Kento pretended not to hear Cye as he continued looking over the pizzas. "I think I'll try that bananas and sausage," Kento finally decided.

"This I gotta see!" Sage remarked as Kento took a slice of the bananas and sausage pizza and took a bite.

"Hmm…it's actually pretty good," Kento admitted after swallowing the bite he took. "You guys want to try some?"

"Umm…no thanks, Kento. We'll just take your word for it," Cye declined.

"We should be heading back up to the city. That play's supposed to start in a couple of hours, right, Cye?" Ryo asked as Cye pulled the tickets out of his pocket to check the time listed on them.

"Yeah, it is," Cye revealed as he put the tickets back in his pocket.

"Thanks for letting us come down here," Rowen admitted as he, Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento stood up from the floor.

"No problem, Rowen," Donatello replied as he, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo stood up as well, along with Splinter.

"We'll lead you back up to the surface," Leonardo insisted.

"It was a pleasure to see you again, Splinter," Sage confessed as he bowed to Splinter.

"The same to you and your friends, Sage," Splinter replied.

"Come on, guys. Let's go," Ryo announced as he and his friends followed the Turtles out of the lair…

"This is very strange…" Shredder muttered to himself. He was driving the lead module with ten Foot Soldiers, followed by two more modules driven by Bebop and Rocksteady, which carried the remaining twenty Foot Soldiers. Shredder was studying a small radar screen on the module's control panel. It was showing a blinking dot of yellow light on the pale blue radar screen.

"According to that tracking device, those boys are in the sewers. But why would they be down there?" Shredder murmured thoughtfully to himself. Suddenly, the module shook violently, knocking Shredder and the ten Foot Soldiers to the floor.

"Why, I'm gonna…" Shredder groaned angrily as he took out his Com Link. "BEBOP!"

"Uh…yeah, boss?" Bebop asked a bit nervously through the Com Link.

"What was the big idea, crashing into me? What were you thinking, you idiot?" Shredder shouted angrily.

"Sorry, Shredder," Bebop stuttered, "but it ain't all my fault. Rocksteady crashed into me first!"

"Silence, you blithering incompetence!" Shredder interrupted. "Just follow me to the surface, but not so closely this time!"

"Right, boss!" Bebop agreed with a snort before Shredder turned off his Com Link.

"Now, to more important matters," Shredder muttered out loud as he sat back down…

"How much longer is this gonna be?" Kento complained as he and his four friends followed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles through the maze of sewer tunnels.

"Take it easy, dude!" Michelangelo announced.

"It's not much further. We're taking you to a sewer opening located in an alley just off of Broadway," Donatello explained.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Sage muttered out loud.

As Ryo walked behind Sage, he noticed something unusual on his back. "Sage, what's that?" Ryo asked curiously.

"What are you talking about, Ryo?" Sage asked as he turned around to look at Ryo.

"There's something on the back of your jacket," Ryo explained.

"What is it, then? A bug? A piece of garbage?" Sage guessed as he stopped walking and took off his jacket to see what Ryo was talking about. He soon noticed the small circular piece of metal with a flashing yellow light attached to the back of his jacket's collar and carefully pulled it off.

"What the heck is this thing?" Sage asked curiously as he looked at the metal piece in his hand.

"Here, let me see," Donatello requested as he approached Sage.

"All right," Sage agreed as he handed the metal piece to Donatello. As Donatello inspected the piece, Sage put his jacket back on.

"Uh-oh!" Donatello gasped loudly.

"What's wrong, Donatello?" Rowen asked suspiciously.

"Unless I'm wrong about this, Rowen, this thing's a tracking device of some sort," Donatello reluctantly revealed.

"A tracking device? Are you sure, Donatello?" Rowen asked.

"I'm usually not wrong about these things, Rowen," Donatello replied as he showed Rowen the tracking device.

"But, who would want to plant a tracking device on us, and why?" Cye wondered out loud. As if on cue, the ground suddenly started to shake violently. "What's going on? Is this an earthquake?" Kento asked a bit worriedly.

"Highly unlikely, Kento! There are no fault lines on the East Coast of the United States!" Rowen shouted.

Suddenly, the five boys and the four Turtles saw a large hole appear in the floor, with three modules flying out of the hole and landing on the floor.

"That was no earthquake, dudes! That was a Shredder Quake!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

"Stand back, guys. Let us handle them," Leonardo instructed as he, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo quickly withdrew their weapons.

"All right," Rowen reluctantly agreed as the doors to the three modules opened and Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and thirty Foot Soldiers stepped out of the modules.

"Step aside, you wretched reptiles! It's not you we're after this time!" Shredder announced.

"Either way, you still have to deal with us, Shredder!" Leonardo shouted.

"Bebop, Rocksteady, Foot Soldiers, attack!" Shredder commanded.

"Go, Green Machine!" the four Turtles shouted simultaneously as they charged at the incoming army of Foot Soldiers. While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fought off the Foot Soldiers and the two mutants, Shredder slowly snuck around them towards where the five boys stood as they watched the fight going on in front of them.

"We can't just stand here, guys! There must be something we can do!" Cye muttered out loud.

"Yeah, so what do you say we get armed and wipe out those robo-twerps?" Kento suggested.

"No, Kento! We can't risk our secret getting exposed," Rowen reminded Kento.

"Besides, the Turtles seem to handling them just fine all on their own."

"Umm…guys? We got company!" Ryo announced as he pointed at Shredder, who had mysteriously appeared in front of them.

"What do you want, scum bucket?" Kento retorted loudly.

"You'll soon see for yourselves," Shredder muttered out loud.

"We don't have time for your little games, Shredder!" Ryo shouted angrily.

"Silence! Now, give me your armor!" Shredder demanded, catching the five boys by surprise.

"No way! How do you know about our armor?" Cye asked suspiciously.

"I did some special research. I know that you five boys are the Ronin Warriors. Now, surrender your armor or you will fall to my feet begging for mercy!" Shredder announced with a sinister laugh.

"Oh, those are brave words coming from someone who hides behind a mask!" Sage retorted.

"You will pay for that insult!" Shredder shouted as he removed a large laser blaster from underneath his cape and aimed it at the five boys.

"Look out!" Ryo shouted as Shredder fired the weapon at him and his four friends. To their surprise, the yellow-orange laser fired from Shredder's laser blaster encased them in a large hollow orb.

"What is this?" Cye asked curiously as he pressed his hands against the wall of the orb and discovered to his surprise that it was solid.

"It's some sort of force field," Rowen muttered thoughtfully.

After wiping out three more Foot Soldiers, Donatello turned around and gasped when he saw the predicament that Rowen and his friends were in. "Stand back, guys! I'll get you out!" Donatello shouted as he leapt towards the orb, ready to swing his bo at it. To Donatello's surprise, when he struck the orb, his wooden bo snapped in half.

"Aww, man! My lucky bo!" Donatello complained as he looked at the broken piece of bo that remained in his hands.

"You wretched reptiles won't stop me this time!" Shredder proclaimed as he pressed a button on the side of the laser blaster.

"Whoa!" Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen gasped slightly when the orb levitated a few feet off of the ground, with them still in it.

"One way or another, you will give me those armors!" Shredder remarked sinisterly as he started to walk back to the modules, with the orb containing the five teenage boys floating a few feet behind him.

"Yeah, right! You seriously think that we're just going to hand over our armors without a fight?" Kento asked sarcastically.

"What the heck is Shred-Head talking about? What armors?" Donatello muttered thoughtfully. "Well, whatever he's up to, I can't let him take my friends!" Donatello quickly did a high somersault and landed in between Shredder and the modules, blocking his path.

"Stand aside, you annoying amphibian!" Shredder demanded.

"Technically, turtles are reptiles, not amphibians," Rowen corrected.

"Now's not the best time for a biology lesson, Rowen!" Ryo muttered through clenched teeth.

"Silence, boy!" Shredder warned Rowen. "I'll deal with you and your friends later, but for now, I'll finish off your mutant friend here!"

"I'd like to see you try, Shredder!" Donatello shouted.

"Hi-ya!" Shredder shouted as he dove towards Donatello, with the long sharp steel blades extending from his fist aimed directly at Donatello's head.

"Donatello, look out!" Rowen shouted. Before Shredder could strike Donatello with the long steel prawns, Donatello quickly withdrew his head into his shell. Shredder ended up getting his steel prawns deeply embedded into the brick wall instead.

"You wretched reptile! Come fight me like a man!" Shredder demanded as he struggled to pull his hand free.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Shred-Head! I prefer to fight like a turtle," Donatello remarked as his head popped back up from within his shell.

"Smooth move, Donatello!" Kento openly confessed as Donatello picked up the laser blaster that Shredder had dropped.

"One of the many reasons why I'm glad to be a turtle," Donatello admitted as he looked over the laser blaster. "I should have you guys out of that force field in just a few seconds." As Donatello looked over the laser blaster in his hands, Shredder had managed to free his hand from the brick wall and was sneaking up on the mutant turtle.

"Donatello, watch out behind you!" Rowen shouted in warning. Donatello turned around but was knocked out cold by a quick blow from Shredder.

"Donatello, no!" Rowen shouted.

"You're gonna pay for that, Shredder!" Ryo proclaimed.

"You want to see our armor so badly, you tin creep? What do you say we show it to him, Ryo?" Kento suggested.

"Yeah, all right. Ronins to arms!" Ryo shouted as he, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen simultaneously removed small glass orbs from their pockets. Suddenly, the immediate area became engulfed with a brilliant white light, nearly blinding everyone.

"Dude, who turned on the lights?" Michelangelo complained loudly as he shielded his eyes from the light, along with Leonardo, Raphael, Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Foot Soldiers.

"WHAT?" Shredder gasped loudly as the force field holding the five teenage boys suddenly exploded, with the force of the explosion knocking him into the brick wall. Soon after the unexpected explosion, the brilliant white light disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

"What the heck…" Raphael gasped slowly. Leonardo and Michelangelo were also too stunned for words by what they saw. Even Rocksteady, Bebop, and the Foot Soldiers had stopped fighting as well. The five teenage boys were now wearing Japanese-style metal sub-armor in a variety of colors. Ryo's sub-armor was red and white, Sage's sub-armor was green and white, Cye's sub-armor was light blue and white, Kento's sub-armor was orange and white, and Rowen's sub-armor was dark blue and white.

"You want our armor so badly, Shredder? Well, then, come and get them!" Rowen shouted.

Shredder just sat there with his back against the brick wall, staring at the five teenage boys in awe. His dark shifty eyes soon glanced over at his laser blaster, which he had dropped when he was knocked back by the explosion of the force field. Shredder tried to reach for the laser blaster, but before he could even touch it, Kento placed his armor-clad foot on top of the weapon. A devilish smirk spread across Kento's face as he pressed his foot down harder on the laser blaster, smashing it into little pieces.

"Oops! Looks like I broke your little toy, Shred-Head!" Kento retorted sarcastically as he, Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Rowen surrounded Shredder.

Before Shredder could say a word, the Ronin Warriors could hear obvious signs of fighting going on behind them. Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen turned around and saw Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo fighting off the remaining twenty-five Foot Soldiers, Bebop, and Rocksteady.

"First thing's first. We have to help them," Ryo announced.

"Right!" Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen agreed simultaneously as the five teenage boys ran off to help Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

Kento ran over to Michelangelo, who had three Foot Soldiers piled on top of him. "Hey! Get off!" Kento shouted as he pulled two of the Foot Soldiers off of Michelangelo and threw them into the brick wall, causing them to smash into little pieces.

"Why don't you go join your friends, you overgrown wind-up toy?" Michelangelo asked loudly as he pushed the third Foot Soldier away from him with both of his feet, smashing him against the brick wall.

"You okay, Michelangelo?" Kento asked curiously as he pulled Michelangelo back up on his feet.

"Yeah, I'm cool, Kento. My shell's a bit scuffed, but that's nothing a little turtle wax won't fix!" Michelangelo admitted as he held his hand up in the air. "Thanks for the help, dude!"

"No problem…dude!" Kento confessed as he gave Michelangelo a high-five.

"We better help out our buds! Time to kick some shell!" Michelangelo shouted as he ran to help out his brothers.

"Rock and rock!" Kento added as he quickly followed Michelangelo.

As the Ronin Warriors and the three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fought the remaining Foot Soldiers, they never noticed Shredder dragging an unconscious Donatello into one of the modules.

"Bebop! Rocksteady! We're leaving!" Shredder shouted to his mutant henchmen.

"Sure thing, boss," Rocksteady agreed as he and Bebop ran into the other modules.

"Hey, those sleaze buckets are getting away!" Kento shouted as he ran his fists through the last two Foot Soldiers' chests.

"Come on! We gotta stop them!" Leonardo shouted as he, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen ran towards the modules.

"Sayonara, you shell-backed simpletons!" Shredder shouted before he closed the module door. Almost instantly, the three modules dove back down in the hole one by one, disappearing into the dark tunnel. Just as the Turtles and the Ronin Warriors reached the large drilled hole, a large geyser of red-hot lava rapidly pouring out the hole startled them.

"Whoa! Watch it!" Ryo shouted as he and everyone else cautiously stepped back. Within moments, the geyser of lava stopped and quickly cooled off, forming a rock-hard seal over the drilled tunnel.

"What just happened?" Cye asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing. Shred-Head just flooded the tube with molten lava!" Raphael retorted angrily as he tucked his sais back into his belt.

"Don't sweat it, dudes. He does it all the time!" Michelangelo confessed as he put away his nunchucks.

"One of these days, we will get Shredder and make him turn our master human again," Leonardo added as he put his katanas back into their sheaths.

"Hold on a minute. Where's Donatello?" Rowen asked when he noticed that his reptilian friend was nowhere to be seen.

"What? Donatello's missing?" Leonardo asked a bit worriedly as he, Raphael, and Michelangelo frantically looked around the sewer tunnel for their missing brother.

"Donatello? Where ya hiding, dude?" Michelangelo shouted loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. There were a few moments of silence that followed when the three Turtles realized that Donatello wasn't going to answer them.

"Where was he last? Does anyone remember?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"Last time I saw him, Donatello was over there," Sage announced, pointing at the spot where the modules once were.

"Guys, you don't think that…" Raphael trailed off.

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit, Raphael. The Shredder has been known to stoop that low before," Leonardo stated calmly, although there was a slight hint of anger in his voice as he spoke.

"What do you mean, Leonardo?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Are you saying that Shredder kidnapped Donatello?" Rowen inquired.

"I'm afraid so, Rowen," Leonardo reluctantly admitted. "If Donatello was still here, he would have answered us by now. And if he was still unconscious, there's no way he could have moved on his own."

"You could be right, Leonardo. Donatello was out like a light, so he wouldn't be able to put up a fight," Cye reluctantly revealed.

"Where would Shredder take Donatello?" Sage asked curiously.

"Odds are down to the Techno-Drome," Raphael answered.

"Techno-Drome?" Kento repeated. "What's that?"

"It's this humungous fortress down in the center of the Earth," Michelangelo explained. "It's run by this evil alien brain called Krang."

"Krang?" Ryo repeated.

"Yes, Ryo. Krang was a ruler of another world called Dimension X, that is until he was exiled to our planet without his body," Leonardo explained. "He's just as much of a threat as the Shredder."

"Is there some way we can get down to the Techno-Drome and rescue Donatello?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Well…there is one way we could get down there…" Leonardo muttered thoughtfully.

"No way, Leonardo! Anything but that!" Raphael complained loudly.

"It may be our only choice, Raphael. It's either that, or we wait for the Shredder to come back to the surface, and who knows how long that will be?" Leonardo pointed out.

"Wait a minute, Leonardo. What's your plan on getting us into the Techno-Drome?" Ryo interrupted.

"We can use Donatello's interdimensional portal generator to teleport into the Techno-Drome," Leonardo suggested.

"Uh-uh! No way, dude!" Michelangelo protested.

"Why? What's the problem?" Sage asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say that Donatello's portal generator doesn't always work right," Raphael revealed.

"I know it's risky, Raphael, but unless you have a better idea to get us in the Techno-Drome, we have no choice," Leonardo explained.

"Well, if you want, I could take a quick look at it before we try to use it," Rowen suggested. "I'm not quite an expert at mechanics, but I'll do my best."

"Dude, you're hired!" Michelangelo replied jokingly.

"Come on, let's head back to the lair before something else happens," Leonardo announced as he headed back to the Turtles' lair, followed by Michelangelo, Raphael, Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen…TO BE CONTINUED


	7. To the Rescue

NOT QUITE HUMAN

**Part Six: To the Rescue**

"Urhm…wha…what happened?" Donatello murmured softly as he slowly opened his eyes. Not recognizing his surroundings right away, Donatello slowly sat up and carefully looked around as he rubbed his head, which was throbbing with pain. He soon realized that he was in some sort of prison cell with bars of electricity.

"Oh, no!" Donatello gasped when he saw the two Foot Soldiers standing guard on either side of the cell. "I'm in the Techno-Drome? When did that happen? The last thing I remember was trying to free Rowen and his friends from that force field bubble that Shredder trapped them in…Shredder! He must have knocked me out when my back was turned! Figures that he would sink so low as to strike a turtle in the back!"

Just then, Donatello heard footsteps slowly approaching. He warily stood up as the footsteps grew even closer.

"So, you're finally awake, Donatello," Shredder remarked nonchalantly as he approached Donatello's cell, along with Rocksteady and Bebop.

"We got us a turtle! We got us a turtle!" Bebop and Rocksteady exclaimed simultaneously in a singsong tone as they danced around Shredder in a circle. Shredder growled under his breath out of irritation as he glared angrily at the two mutants, who immediately cut their celebration short.

"Whatever you want with me, Shredder, you can just forget it! There's no way I'm doing anything for you!" Donatello announced defiantly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Actually, I don't need you to do anything. You're just bait," Shredder revealed.

"You seriously think you're gonna trap my brothers again, Shred-Head? We've outsmarted you and your mutant lackeys countless times before, in case you've forgotten," Donatello pointed out sarcastically.

"I'm not interested in those repulsive reptiles this time. It's your new human friends I'm interested in," Shredder announced.

"What do you want with them?" Donatello asked a bit suspiciously.

"Your friends have something that I want: the five mythical armors of the Ronin Warriors," Shredder revealed.

"Your helmet must be on too tight, Shredder!" Donatello retorted. "It's called a myth for a reason, because it's not real!"

"That armor is real, Donatello. If you were awake at the time, you would have witnessed the live demonstration for yourself," Shredder announced with a sinister laugh. "Once those boys come down here looking for you, I'll finally have the power to take over the world!"

"What makes you think they even know where the Techno-Drome is, Shredder?" Donatello asked.

"You have a good point there, Donatello. I'm sure those brothers of yours will help them out. If not, I'll give them a personal invitation," Shredder confessed with a hint of venom. "Come on, you two! We've got work to do!"

"Right away, Master Shredder!" Rocksteady agreed as he and Bebop followed Shredder down the hall…

"So, what's the deal, Rowen? You got that thing working yet?" Ryo asked curiously. The five Ronin Warriors, who were still in their sub-armor, and the three remaining Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in Donatello's workshop, where Rowen was working on the interdimensional portal generator.

"I'm doing the best I can, Ryo. This circuitry is extremely complex," Rowen explained as he picked up a pair of pliers and stuck them inside an open compartment.

"What's going on in here?" Splinter asked curiously as he walked into Donatello's workshop. He gasped slightly out of surprise when he saw the five teenage human boys wearing Japanese-style metal sub-armor.

"What's going on? Where's Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"Well, to make a long story short, Sensei: Old Shred-Head's after these guys because of their magic armors, and he snatched Donatello just to get to them," Raphael explained.

"Magic armors? What do you mean by that, Raphael?" Splinter asked curiously.

"You see that armor they're wearing now, Master Splinter? They call themselves the Ronin Warriors," Leonardo replied.

"Ronin Warriors? I remember that legend quite well, but now I see for myself that it's no mere legend," Splinter admitted.

"We're very sorry about all of this, Splinter," Sage solemnly apologized as he looked down at the ground. "Shredder ambushed us in the sewers and kidnapped Donatello, and all because he wanted our armor."

"Do not blame yourself, Sage," Splinter replied as he placed both of his bony clawed paws on Sage's shoulders. "The Shredder is indeed a ruthless man, but we have defeated him before on many occasions, so do not worry yourself over this, Sage."

"Well, I've done all I can," Rowen announced as he closed the compartment he was working on and stood up. "Here we go, guys. Keep your fingers crossed."

Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento, Splinter, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael all held their breath in anticipation as Rowen entered the coordinates and flipped a switch on the portal generator. The generator started making some strange noises as a swirling pink-and-blue vortex appeared on the large flat screen.

"All right! Way to go, dude!" Michelangelo cheered loudly as he patted Rowen on the shoulder.

"Now, let's go get our bro back from that old Tin Grin!" Raphael announced as he started to head for the portal.

"Wait, Raphael!" Leonardo shouted as he held his arm up, blocking his brother's path.

"What are you stopping me for, Leonardo?" Raphael asked a bit suspiciously.

"Look!" Leonardo announced as he pointed at the portal, which was becoming full of static, like a television set that had gone on the fritz.

"I'm sorry, guys. I warned you that I wasn't an expert at this," Rowen replied solemnly as he closed his eyes.

"Take it easy, Rowen. You did your best," Cye tried to convince Rowen as he placed a reassuring hand on the blue-haired teen's shoulder.

"Yeah, we'll find a way to the Techno-Drome, with or without the portal generator," Sage added.

"I think I know what the problem is with this thing," Kento announced as he walked over to the portal generator.

"And what's that, Kento?" Ryo asked curiously.

"I'll just do what I do whenever my TV goes on the fritz!" Kento admitted as he raised a clenched fist, preparing to strike the top of the flat screen. Before he could bring his fist down, Cye quickly ran to Kento's side and grabbed his arm.

"Hey, Cye! What's the big idea?" Kento complained.

"Kento, this isn't your crummy old television! It's a sensitive piece of equipment!" Cye explained as Michelangelo joined them. "You can't just whack something and expect it to be fixed just like…"

To Cye's surprise, Michelangelo brought his clenched fist down hard on top of the flat screen. A few moments later, the static completely faded away and the swirling pink-and-blue vortex appeared again, just as clear as it was before.

"All fixed, dudes!" Michelangelo announced as he gave Cye and Kento a thumbs up.

"Uhh…you were saying, Cye?" Kento remarked smugly as Cye stared at Michelangelo with a completely dumbfounded look in his green eyes.

"I…I can't believe he just did that!" Cye slowly stuttered out of shock.

"So, this portal should take us inside the Techno-Drome. Is that right?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Yeah, it should…" Leonardo reluctantly admitted.

"Hold on! What do you mean by that?" Sage asked a bit suspiciously.

"Well…it's been a while since we used the interdimensional portal generator to teleport to the Techno-Drome," Leonardo explained. "If the Techno-Drome has moved at all since then, we could end up outside of the Techno-Drome."

"Hey, that's no big deal. With our armor, we'll have no problem busting into the Techno-Drome!" Kento confessed.

"There's one more thing we forgot to mention about the Techno-Drome: it's located in the center of the Earth!" Raphael revealed. "So, basically, the Techno-Drome's right in the middle of a huge pool of lava! If the three of us fall in, we're as good as turtle soup!"

"Pool of lava, huh?" Ryo muttered thoughtfully. "Then, I should be the first to go."

"Why you, Ryo?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"My armor is the Wildfire, Leonardo. It gets its power from heat," Ryo explained. "My armor was even created inside an active volcano. If this portal does lead into the lava pool, my armor would protect me."

"That makes sense," Leonardo admitted.

"You might want to stand back. I'll have to transform into my full armor," Ryo warned the three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

"Okay, if you say so, dude," Michelangelo agreed as he, Leonardo, and Raphael stepped back a few feet.

"Armor of Wildfire! DAO JIN!" Ryo shouted.

"Whoa!" Leonardo and Raphael gasped slowly in awe when they saw the full red-and-white battle armor that Ryo was now wearing, which included a pair of katanas carried in twin blue sheaths attached diagonally to the back of his armor.

"Dude, that's so cool!" Michelangelo exclaimed loudly. "Can I get one, too? I want an orange-and-green one with spikes all over it, and humungous horns on the helmet, and…"

"Michelangelo!" Leonardo and Raphael shouted simultaneously.

"Sorry, bad timing," Michelangelo replied as he chuckled a bit sheepishly.

"All right, here I go," Ryo announced as he started to walk towards the portal.

"Wait a second, Ryo," Leonardo interrupted as he took his Turtle Com out of his belt and handed it to Ryo. "Use this to keep in touch with us after you go through the portal."

"All right, Leonardo," Ryo agreed as he picked up the Turtle Com from Leonardo's hand. He took in a deep breath before stepping into the portal, disappearing into the swirling void out of his friends' view…

Meanwhile, just a short distance outside of the Techno-Drome, a swirling pink-and-blue vortex appeared about twenty feet above a massive pool of lava.

"I'm almost there…" Ryo muttered to himself as he continued walking towards the light coming from the other side of the portal. When he reached the opening, Ryo found himself suspended high above a huge pool of red-hot lava that was surrounded by several tall columns of jagged rock. The towering stalagmites around the lava pool seemed to radiate a soft orange glow from the liquid magma.

"Whoa! It's a good thing I went first," Ryo muttered to himself as he jumped out of the portal and landed in the lava, which went all the way up to his waist.

"Whoa…" Ryo gasped slowly when he turned around and his tiger blue eyes first saw the Techno-Drome. He was stunned by the immense size of the giant white spherical tank sitting in front of him.

"Is that a…an eyeball?" Ryo muttered curiously to himself when he noticed the huge steel encased eyeball that was perched on the very top of the Techno-Drome. "That is really weird-looking."

Just then, Ryo was a bit startled when he heard a beeping noise coming from his hand. He realized that the beeping was coming from the Turtle Com that Leonardo had given him earlier. Ryo opened up the Turtle Com and saw Leonardo's face on the miniature screen.

"Hey, Leonardo. What's up?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Did you make it to the Techno-Drome, Ryo?" Leonardo asked.

"In a way, yeah, I did," Ryo replied.

"Well, what's the deal, Ryo? Can we go through the portal or not?" Raphael asked sarcastically.

"Unless you want to take a twenty-foot swan dive into a pool of red-hot lava, I don't think so, Raphael," Ryo retorted dryly as he waded through the lava and climbed up onto a flat patch of rock that wasn't covered by the molten rock.

"Then how are we supposed to get inside this Techno-Drome, Ryo?" Kento asked sarcastically.

"Hold on, I got an idea," Ryo revealed as he looked up at a stalagmite that was very tall and very thick.

"That should be long enough to reach the portal," Ryo muttered thoughtfully as he backed away a few feet from the stalagmite.

"Ryo, what's going on?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"Just hang on a minute, Leonardo. I'm gonna make a bridge to the portal for you guys," Ryo explained as he carefully placed the Turtle Com down on the rocks. He studied the base of the stalagmite for a few moments before withdrawing his katanas and joining them together at the handles.

_I just need to focus my attack on the base of the stalagmite. One clean cut will knock that thing over into the lava and create a bridge for everyone,_ Ryo thought to himself as he closed his eyes and held his katanas above his head.

"FLARE UP NOW!"

Ryo's attack struck the base of the stalagmite just as planned, causing it to teeter and fall back into the pool of lava with a resounding splash.

"All right! It worked!" Ryo exclaimed when he saw that half of the stalagmite's length was floating above the surface of the lava and it reached the open portal lingering overhead, just as he had hoped. Ryo picked up the Turtle Com and announced, "I just made a bridge for you guys, so you can cross the lava with no problem. Just watch your step before getting out of the portal."

"You got it, Ryo," Leonardo agreed before turning off the connection. Ryo closed the Turtle Com and looked up at the portal high above the pool of lava. The first person he saw at the portal opening was Sage, who was now in his full green-and-white battle armor.

"Whoa! You weren't kidding, Ryo!" Sage gasped when he noticed how far down the pool of lava was.

"Come on, Sage! Take the plunge!" Ryo shouted up to Sage.

"Coming down, Ryo!" Sage announced as he leapt out of the portal and landed right on the stalagmite. As Sage started to cross the stalagmite bridge that Ryo created, Raphael was the next to reach the portal.

"Bonsai!" Raphael shouted as he leapt out of the portal, did a somersault in midair, and landed just a few feet behind Sage, who was halfway across the stalagmite bridge.

"Raphael, you gotta be more careful!" Leonardo shouted from the portal opening up in the air, who was soon joined by Cye and Kento in their full battle armor. "You could have been turtle soup!"

"Relax, Leonardo. Get over it!" Raphael shouted back as he and Sage reached the rocky patch of land, where Ryo was waiting for them.

"He is so reckless!" Leonardo grumbled disapprovingly under his breath as he jumped down and landed on the stalagmite bridge.

"Come on, Kento," Cye announced as he dove out of the portal and landed effortlessly on the floating stalagmite.

"Right behind ya, Cye!" Kento boasted as he jumped out of the portal. "Whoa!" he stuttered as he nearly lost his balance when he landed on the stalagmite bridge.

"You all right, Kento?" Cye asked curiously as he looked back at his friend.

"I'm okay, Cye," Kento replied as he regained his composure and started to cross the stalagmite bridge.

"Nice one, dude! I give you a nine for the dive, but I'll have to give you a six for the landing!" Michelangelo commented jokingly.

"I'd like to see you do better, dude!" Kento remarked loudly.

"Stop clowning around, Michelangelo, and get your shell down here!" Raphael retorted sarcastically.

"Keep your shell on, dude! Cowabunga!" Michelangelo shouted as he jumped out of the portal and landed on the stalagmite bridge, followed shortly by Rowen in his full dark blue-and-white armor.

"Wow! That's incredible!" Rowen gasped as he gazed up at the Techno-Drome.

"Hey, if there's time left, Rowen, we'll give you the free tour. Now, come on!" Michelangelo announced.

"So, what's the plan? How are we getting inside?" Kento asked curiously as Michelangelo and Rowen joined the others.

"Normally, we'd use our grappling hooks to climb on top of the Techno-Drome and find a way inside, but the Shredder's probably expecting that," Leonardo muttered thoughtfully.

"We could always make a door," Ryo suggested.

"Uhh…in case you haven't noticed, Ryo, this is a humongous tank we're dealing with here," Raphael remarked. "The tank armor's gotta be at least a few feet thick."

"I know that, Raphael. But, with our armor, we'll have no problem busting into that place, no matter how thick that tank armor is," Ryo pointed out.

"Go ahead, Kento. Make your move," Sage announced.

"Hey, no sweat, guys!" Kento admitted boastfully as he ran over to the side of the Techno-Drome, followed by Ryo, Sage, Cye, Rowen, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

"I think it's time to see if anybody's home!" Kento announced as he placed both hands on the tank and pulled back as hard as he could.

"Whoa…" Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo gasped slowly out of astonishment as they watched Kento effortlessly tear off a small section of the Techno-Drome's thick metal tank armor, leaving a hole just big enough for them to enter the Techno-Drome.

"That was pretty awesome, dude!" Michelangelo openly confessed.

"Like I said, Michelangelo, no sweat!" Kento boasted.

"Come on, guys. We have to find Donatello," Rowen announced as he cautiously stepped into the Techno-Drome through the opening that Kento had just created.

"Rowen's right, let's go," Leonardo added as he entered the Techno-Drome after Rowen, followed by Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, Raphael, and Michelangelo…

"Shredder! Get in here now!" Krang shouted, who was in the main control room of the Techno-Drome.

"What is it now, Krang?" Shredder asked wearily as he walked into the main control room, followed by his two mutant lackeys, Bebop and Rocksteady.

"We have intruders in the Techno-Drome!" Krang announced as he pointed up at the monitor.

"Well, what do you know?" Shredder asked nonchalantly when he saw that the intruders were none other than the five boys and the three remaining Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Seeing the boys in their full battle armor confirmed Shredder's original suspicions about them.

"So, do you believe me now, Krang?" Shredder asked a bit arrogantly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Perhaps you are right about these boys, Shredder," Krang muttered thoughtfully as he carefully studied the monitor. "The sensors are detecting a strange energy source from those armors that they're wearing, but…"

"But what, Krang?" Shredder prodded with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"How can you be so sure that those armors are as powerful as you claim they are, Shredder?" Krang asked doubtfully.

"So, you want a demonstration, do you, Krang?" Shredder asked. "Trust me; you're going to get a demonstration like you've never seen before!"

"You had better, Shredder," Krang muttered out loud as Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady left the control room…TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
